


Building Bridges

by Zorua_Illusion



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: In where I attempt to explain things, Wherever one goes the other is sure to follow, and also share headcannons, unconnected oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-14 01:38:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 26,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9151075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorua_Illusion/pseuds/Zorua_Illusion
Summary: Genji can only build his bridge halfway.(In which the gaps in Genji's life are explained and then crossed, usually with the help of Zenyatta.)





	1. Cầu Rồng

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reconciliation is not an easy path; nor is it a short one.  
> However, it is a path that Genji is willing to wait to walk with Hanzo, though few don't quite understand why.

Most of the Overwatch base isn’t sure what to make of Shimada Hanzo when he eventually arrives, heeding the call of the ghost- machine- being that claims to be his brother that his dragons won’t stop snapping at him about. All of the veterans know Genji’s story; hell, Angela had rebuilt him from the edge of death, so that wasn’t surprising. Zenyatta had been too invested in Genji’s spiritual and mental well-being to _not_ know his story. Everyone else could easily sense the tension whenever the two brothers were in the same room as the other. It wasn’t right and they knew it, and once they heard the story (with Genji’s permission), there wasn’t a single person on base who knew why on Earth Genji put up with it, why he tried to reach out to his brother who was very clearly not reaching back.

One day, Zenyatta asked Genji as the two sat up on one of the roofs of base accessible via stairs. Genji could very easily – and has very easily – climbed higher than here. He could carry Zenyatta with him to those points with only a minor challenge of added weight, given that the monk has clung to him like a spider monkey before when Genji has had the need to do so in their travels. But he has no such urge today, content enough to relax only about a story off the ground at Gibraltar.

Zenyatta asked out of curiosity, and a wish to understand his student (his _friend_ ) better than he does now.

Genji doesn’t say anything, at first. That’s alright; Genji often has to sort through his thoughts to put words to them.

“I’m not sure how to explain it, Master,” he begins. “I’m sure you’ve had many spats with your own siblings; granted they didn’t try and nearly succeed in murdering you. But you have helped me find peace, Master, and through that peace I found the path to forgiveness. It has been a decade since I have been remade, and in those years I realized that the blame of the incident is not entirely Hanzo’s. A tapestry requires more than one thread to make, but it can be unraveled completely if one is pulled.” Genji rolled his fingers against the roof, metallic on metallic making a _clink_ sort of sound as he tried to find a better, clearer way to describe his thoughts and feelings on the matter. “Hanzo is… particularly strange. His ideals are extremely old-fashioned and he’s rather stubborn in his way of thinking. There are a hundred thousand nuances behind a culture that simply cannot be explained because they are so ingrained into the culture, it’s like asking someone to explain a heartbeat. Do not think I am shirking you, master, there are just some things that I cannot explain.” Genji shrugs, more than a little lost. “You ask why I keep reaching out; perhaps I should get to the heart of the matter. The point remains that a bridge between two towns can only be built in half by one town. But if one doesn’t try, the other will never will. But if one does try…” Genji left the rest of the sentence, whatever it may be, unsaid.

Zenyatta nodded. He couldn’t fully comprehend Genji’s thoughts (he had told the cyborg that, once, and only gotten laughter in reply. “That’s alright, Master,” he said while giggling still, “They don’t make much sense to me, either.”), but he could understand some of the sentiment behind it.

(Regret, so much regret, after their leader, _their brother_ went dark, passing eternally into the Iris, words never settled, a feeling of discord he’ll probably never be entirely rid of)

The cyborg placed a hand on his knee, dragging the omnic out of his thoughts.

“Ah, I apologize.”

“It’s alright, Master.” Zenyatta could tell he was smiling underneath the mask, though at what he wasn’t sure. They both stared out to where sky met the sea, burning the scene in orange as the sun sank down along its path.

“It grows late, Master. We should be going.”

“Of course.” Zenyatta stood with Genji’s help, taking the offered hand. “Thank you for sharing with me, Genji.”

Genji didn’t let go of Zenyatta’s hand, instead using it to drag him into a gentle embrace, trying to convey the feelings he couldn’t convert to words or sentences. Zenyatta returned the hug, encouraging Genji to claim the touch he craved.

“Thank you for listening.”

 

 

More than not understanding why Genji continually reaches for his brother, the Overwatch crew doesn’t understand why Hanzo doesn’t reach back. Second chances are few and hard to come by, but now that Hanzo has been offered one they don’t understand why he doesn’t take it.

Hanzo is not inclined to share, but Genji knows his brother still despite the years between them. He alone knows how they grew up in their Hanamura home, taught to respect the dead and never anger them lest their spirits come back to haunt the wrongdoers, lessons of fear instilled into them long ago.

Hanzo was never good with fear. He was more human than he cared to admit; he would lash out when he was afraid, mistaking it for anger. It didn’t surprise him that Hanzo would lash out at someone who was supposed to be a decade dead and tore down the cause of their mutual suffering.

Genji was never really good with putting his thoughts into comprehensible words, however. He also had no experience trying to explain his culture, the way certain beliefs and morals and religious strains could intertwine with even the _yakuza_ , how it wasn’t worship but respect and fear.

But those were just some threads of the tapestry that was their tragedy. The world is never black and white, he had learned.

“Your thoughts carry much weight today, Genji,” Zenyatta prompted, bringing Genji out of his meditation. “Though not nearly as much as they once did.”

“These thoughts are a path that I have already walked, Master. I felt as if it were one in need of a repeated journey.”

“Repetition is the path to mastery, little sparrow. Did you discover anything new?”

Genji shook his head. “No.” He tapped his finger against his leg rhythmically, some beat from one of Lucio’s songs that wouldn’t get out of his head. It was one of his many tells, this one informing Zenyatta that there was more the cyborg could say but wasn’t going to, whether out of respect of another’s privacy or not knowing how to say it or some combination thereof.

There were times to push and times to wait, but this was not one of them.

“Ah,” Zenyatta said, satisfied with Genji’s progress. They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, simply enjoying the sound and sight of waves over the cliffs, before Genji interrupted.

“Master, what path did you walk today?”

Zenyatta’s ticks were a little more subtle, but Genji caught the faint catch in Zenyatta’s machinery.

“One I will walk again, I think. There is much of it undiscovered.”

Genji doesn’t push him farther despite the cyborg knowing the other’s tells of discomfort and not telling the entire truth. He doesn’t think he needs to; firstly because he knows Zenyatta will tell him when he’s ready.

Secondly, he thinks he already knows. A crack like thunder blasts forth through his memory – it has and will likely continue to haunt both him and his master, especially now when they hear it occasionally during missions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... There's a lot behind this chapter. But ah... that's a story for another time, don't you think?  
>  Chapter Title: "Dragon Bridge" in Vietnamese. It's the name of... well, the Dragon Bridge in Vietnam. Got the info from Wiki; it's pretty cool.


	2. Yōkai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An explanation of skins.

Genji knew that there were times when the Overwatch crew would have to disguise themselves. The organization was still very much prohibited by the UN, but many people were grateful for their assistance, so they continued. The world could always use more heroes – and a colorful bunch of heroes they were.

A little too colorful, at times. With members such as a Shambali monk, cyborg ninja, a literal Bastion unit, and an ex-Crusader, sometimes some disguises were necessary in order to avoid undue attention.

Genji is relatively okay with this – Shimada Genji is long since dead, slain by his brother in their ancestral Hanamura home, but _Genji_ the Overwatch agent, Genji the cyborg, is very noticeable for those who know how to look. So he’ll take the disguise of a desert nomad, the armor hiding in plain sight, his helmet base hiding underneath cloth with goggles to help his limited vision. Zenyatta will take the paint that is more reminiscent of Mondatta than he would’ve liked, Jack will look ridiculous with the century old style of clothes, and Bastion will take the paint jobs and apply a glamour unit – named after the spells in fairy tales used for the same purpose – to the bird that follows it around.

But this… this is going a little too far, and Genji stares at Angela through his visor. He half wishes to take it off, to show her what is left of his face, and how this is a _terrible, horrible idea_ and honestly what the literal _hell_ is she thinking about giving him… _this_ as a programed disguise?

Angela seemed to be in agreement with him on this, judging by her face. It’s one of the reasons he doesn’t remove his faceplate, along with the fact that she’s only the messenger, not the one who programs these.

“Jack thinks that your armor will stand out, and looking like a nomad in the middle of a city would be… noticeable,” she explains. She’s displeased and Genji knows it.

“But my old armor wouldn’t stand out. Or green hair,” Genji inquires dryly. Mercy shrugs.

“Not with the way the world is now,” she explains. It sounds like she’s trying to justify it to herself as much as she’s trying to explain it to him.

 Genji takes a moment to try to understand where she’s coming from. She had always tried to help him after he became a cyborg, something he only realized in hindsight. She was young, too, at the time, and had no idea how to help him, but she tried as much as she could. She was a doctor invested in her patient’s welfare, and more than that, she was his friend. She might fear that this will upset the delicate peace he has come to with what he has become – who he is now. He doesn’t blame her, but Zenyatta is a better teacher than that, and Genji a stronger person. It’s just another hurdle in the course, just another wall to climb over.

“Thank you, Doctor Ziegler. Please extend my regards to Commander Morrison,” Genji requests. He can see the fire in her eyes – the fire of one who feels the need to defend a friend, even if that friend needs no protection. Genji has seen that fire long ago, back in the first installment of Overwatch, when even Reyes would back off when she got that look in her eyes.

“I plan too,” she replies, and Genji now knows why she wears the Valkyrie suit.

(A friendly face of a peaceful freedom fighter had taught him as he had travelled with Zenyatta; Valkyries came and claimed those on the battle field, taking half to Volhall where they would wait until the war of the end.)

Genji takes the node and stores it away before bowing in thanks and respect and leaving. He can hear the quick clicks Angela’s heels make against the floor and knows that Morrison probably won’t be showing up to dinner tonight.

He heads towards his and Zenyatta’s room – neither of them need much space, and after years of travelling together, Genji finds it difficult to sleep _without_ his omnic teacher nearby – to dissect his thoughts. He had quickly come to peace with the idea of being disguised, but he needed more time to reconcile himself to this particular one.

He’s a little surprised to see that Zenyatta is also present, but it’s a pleasant one. Zenyatta looks up from where he is knitting to where Genji has entered.

“Something is troubling you,” he begins without preamble.

It’s pointless to ignore it – he’s going to see it eventually. “A new disguise for cities where this look is already known,” Genji explains, “And where the Nomad is inappropriate.”

“Oh?” Zenyatta’s tone is curious, but not pushy. Genji will tell him in his own time.

“It is… of my flesh body,” Genji starts, finding his words. “Morrison came up with it.”

“Are you alright with wearing it?” Zenyatta’s concern was palpable, and it made Genji smile. The omnic had seen firsthand what a ruin of a person he was when he collapsed in the doorway of the Shambali.

Genji paused. “I believe I will be, but only when necessary. I am not who I was before.”

Zenyatta nodded. “It is good to realize you have changed, grown. If you have any concerns, you are free to talk to me about them.” Zenyatta placed a hand on Genji’s shoulder in comfort and companionship.

Genji felt a thought come through and spoke it aloud, unbidden: “Would you like to see it?”

Zenyatta tilted his head, making a questioning hum.

“This new skin,” Genji elaborates, using the name that Hana had come up with for the glamour nodes’ effect, “I think… it would help me if someone saw it before it sees use in the field.”

“If you think it to help you, I will gladly see it.”

Genji nods and fishes the node out of the disguised pockets he has in his armor. He applies it and turns it on.

He feels no different – the node does not change anything physically, just writes an elaborate hologram program to make people look different – but when he looks down, his arm is fully flesh, covered by the armor he had worn in his twenties. He knows the differences between what he looked like then and what he looks like now, but he is more interested in Zenyatta’s reactions than seeing the node’s effect on himself.

Zenyatta inspects every inch of him before coming to face him once more.

“I may be biased in my opinion, but I believe I like the look you wore when I met you,” Zenyatta begins, “but this is a perfectly good disguise.”

Genji hugs him. “I feel the same way. Thank you, Master.”

Zenyatta returns the hug almost immediately. “Of course, little sparrow.”

“Can you still call me ‘little sparrow’ if I’m taller than you?”

“Distance is an illusion.”

“Nah. You’re just jealous I’m taller.”

 

(Zenyatta would grin if he could. Genji is at peace once more, the purple-grey storm chased away by golden-green light.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I finally got enough currency in game to buy the Young Genji skin. But I have to laugh whenever I play it, because they changed so little with it. Like how Genji still reloads with the shuriken in his arm, or how his voice still has the metallic timber. They’re little details and I can understand why they didn’t change them, but it’s still funny. So here’s an explanation of how skins work with some Genji & healers friendship mixed in. And Bad Idea Morrison.  
> Also a new headcannon I just discovered I have: Genji totally needs glasses/contacts, which is one reason why he has his visor and hardly ever takes it off.   
> Chapter title once again taken from Wiki- "Yōkai (妖怪, ghost, phantom, strange apparition) are a class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in Japanese folklore".


	3. Nacā'unu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genji watches Zenyatta in awe.  
> It's not the first time. It's not the last. But he will appreciate every moment, none the less.

Genji sits in awe as he watches Zenyatta.

Now, this isn’t the first time it’s happened. When Genji had first witnessed Transcendence, he knew his jaw had hit the floor. His only saving grace was his faceplate, hiding his reaction from sight, but he had frozen in place for those brief seconds until Zenyatta had come back to himself, extra limbs and light fading from existence.

Now, though, it is not the sight of Transcendence that drives him to awe and wonder; no, rather, it is the sight of Zenyatta dancing.

It’s an uncommon thing; there was never enough time or space when they were wandering, and after the recall there was never enough time or leftover energy for Zenyatta to want to dance with all the missions their skeleton crew had.

But more people had joined with Overwatch, and everyone was in need of a break, so every agent got a few days break in a rotation. Winston didn’t want to promise everyone a vacation and then have something crop up where some agents were denied the full period of rest, so the first agents to answer the recall (and thus, the agents who had been working the longest) were the first ones to get their days off.

Zenyatta and Genji were among these people, though only barely. Thus they were alone, for the most part; the others choosing to have left the base or just rest in solitude. They spend their break in the company of one another – a familiar, comforting thing after the years doing so. Even still, it is not strange for them to break off to attend to one thing or another on their own. It is, however, very strange for Zenyatta to not return for such a length of time. Genji decides to seek out his master for company; if his master is busy, he’ll go see if one of the younger agents is free instead.

Genji comes across him in one of the long-abandoned gyms. It’s cleaner than the others, presumably of Zenyatta’s doing, though it does not have much functionality yet. But Zenyatta very obviously did not come here for the equipment – judging by the way he moves, he’s come here for the space.

Genji finds a perch on an old shelving unit - sturdy enough to stand a slap from Reinhart so more than sturdy enough for him to sit on – and silently sits upon it, watching.

It’s not quite what he had in mind, but Genji will always watch his master dance.

Zenyatta’s dancing is… enthralling, Genji supposes is the best word he has for it. It’s fluid and graceful at times and purposefully jerky in others, a movement of limbs that seems to be freeing for Zenyatta.

(Once, after the second time of seeing his master dance, Genji had asked him about it. Zenyatta had told him it was one way that Zenyatta could feel he had proof of a soul, for how could one feel so much without one? It was comforting, relaxing, something Genji would come to understand after leaping into battles that had more, better purposes behind them than _hurt._ )

There’s no music, which is a little bit of a shame. Zenyatta had once admitted to Genji that he did not need music to dance, or even to feel his soul while doing so, but it made the experience more profound.

Genji shook his head fondly. They lived with a talented DJ, and Zenyatta was actually good friends with his fellow support members, so perhaps it had slipped his mind to ask Lucio, and failing that, Athena, for something. He stood up and jumped from his perch, landing cat-like on the floor in front of the unit in clear sight of Zenyatta.

The monk must have heard or seen him earlier (or perhaps just sensed him), as he did not jump. Rather, he turned and tilted his head inquiringly without a word, curious as to what Genji was going to do.

Genji approached him, stopping three paces away from Zenyatta before bowing, extending a hand in invitation.

“May I have this dance?” Genji asked, following the protocol McCree had taught him long ago in the first stint of Overwatch. McCree had insisted upon the lessons – “If you’re gonna mimic my accent, you at least gotta have the knowledge to back it up” – even if Genji had some idea of the custom before... before.

Zenyatta gently placed his hand in his student’s. “Of course,” he accepted. Genji put his hands in the correct places – right twined with Zenyatta’s left, held up by their shoulders, left on Zenyatta’s waist – before looking up at the ceiling and murmuring “Athena, would you please?”

“Of course,” the AI responded warmly, and gentle music began to play. Genji led Zenyatta through the steps he remembered from long ago, the simple 1-2-3 comfortably familiar.

“I see you know the waltz, my student,” Zenyatta began.

“One of many formal dances I was taught as part of the _yakuza_ , especially the leader’s son. It’s the only one I cared to remember.”

Zenyatta ‘smiled’ playfully. “Oh? How am I not surprised by this fact, Genji?”

Genji laughed, bright and clear, but didn’t respond otherwise. Zenyatta took the lead at this point, adding in simple turns as the music went on.

The dance ended soon after, and Genji stepped back, bowing to his partner. Zenyatta returned the gesture before asking “Would you like me to remind you of some others?” The omnic extended his hand. Genji accepted by placing his own and intertwining them once more, allowing Zenyatta to pull him closer once again.

Athena plays on, switching songs as Zenyatta names the dances.

Genji sleeps peacefully that night, soft notes and a gentle voice playing through his mind as he rests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the waltz was considered scandalous when it was first invented due to how close the partners had to stand to perform it.  
> Fun fact 2: Waltzes are always written in ¾ meter – meaning three beats per measure with a quarter note making up one beat. The dance is actually quite simple; the tricky part is working with your partner due to the aforementioned tight space.  
> Fun fact 3: I have only done the waltz once as a requirement for my Home Ec class in middle school. I have played several waltzes since (violinist here), but can’t remember the exact steps, which is why it is remarkably unspecific here. (Also the fact that since I use she/her pronouns made it so I took what they called the "female part" I honestly have no idea if the hands are the right way around.)  
> Also, the chapter title is /supposed/ to be "to dance" in Nepali (with English characters.) Unfortunately, I know literally nothing about Nepali, so I have to trust that Google Translate is at least close. If you know that it's wrong, please tell me and I'll fix it.


	4. Chūjitsuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trust and love are both freely given and hard won feelings.

Genji would not consider himself close to most. Oh, sure, he loves his friends (comrades? Allies? There aren’t any words Genji can think of that come close to the feelings he has for this ragtag bunch that might one day be called “heroes”), but it’s the abstract closeness one gets from sharing a living space with someone. You might not be friends, exactly, but you’ll probably learn what they like to do, eat, favorite color, and other little details. It’s been like this throughout most of Genji’s life, which is… unhealthy, to say the least. Being part of the _yakuza_ means that everyone is a potential enemy or a potential ally, and even then the two intermix so frequently that Genji is always suspicious of everyone. Everyone except for his immediate family, that is.

But then his mother died, taking most of his father with her until the shell that housed the man passed a few years after, leaving a too young Hanzo to serve as leader and Genji being swallowed by grief he didn’t know how to deal with. He played at the arcade and tried to drown the sorrow in physical pleasure because that was the only way he could satisfy his need to socialize and at the same time maintain a certain distance between him and potential enemies.

Then came the elders, and the duel, the reluctant fight between brothers that had Genji become the cyborg ninja he now is and wallow in anger and hurt for years until he left Overwatch and found himself in Nepal, systems drained and exhausted as he reached an open doorway.

Genji only remembers a brief flit of color before passing out, both biotic and mechanical parts of himself pushed to their absolute max.

(Zenyatta says it was Mondatta who found him, prone to night wanderings as the leader was often sleepless, but Mondatta had said it Zenyatta who had found him. Genji could not discern the truth either way and simply assumed that they had both found him collapsed inside their door.)

It took a long while for Zenyatta to make an impact on Genji; it is difficult for the cyborg to remember how long, suns and moons passing in an endless dance that marks the passage of time while destroying its meaning. But he remembers when he realized just how much of an impact Zenyatta has had on him: the day he took off every part of his helm, put on a pair of glasses he had stashed away inside one of the many hidden pockets in his armor, and took in the monastery through his own eyes. There was no digital interlay, no pixilation, no targeting system or face recognition beyond that of his mostly biotic mind.

Then Zenyatta walked into the room. For once, Genji did not feel disturbed by his bare face being shown to another, nor did he shy away. Instead, he smiled – a small, tentative thing – as Zenyatta approached him as one would a startled bird.

And then Genji said “Good morning,” turning back to the window that was inside the room he currently resided in and whispered “Hello, world.”

It was the first time he had spoken since stumbling onto the Shambali doorstep, other than quickly thanking his hosts and telling them his name.

Zenyatta had said nothing, simply sitting down next to his student and sending his orbs spinning around the both of them. Genji batted at one playfully before staring outside once again, entering a sort of meditative state that was only aided by Zenyatta’s orbs beginning to chime.

It was then that Genji realized he trusted this person – this one who hadn’t given up on him, despite the anger and pain and lashing out he had done, the silence he placed upon himself in fear and anger (and shame, deep down), and had found something (dare he say) beautiful and encouraged it to grow.

Trust and love are funny things, and Zenyatta has earned both from Genji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: “Hello, world,” is actually a programming thing. I don’t know much about it beyond that, but that probably explains one of Zenyatta’s voice lines.  
> EDIT: Thanks to Oregano_Cactus for informing me; it's supposed to be good luck to have that as the first command in a program!  
> Fun fact 2: Yes, it is a headcannon of mine that Genji needs glasses/contacts after the fight with Hanzo, which is a reason why he tends to wear his mask everywhere besides anonymity. This is mentioned briefly in Chapter Two. Genji only wears his glasses when he feels protected or that he’s not going to be needed in a fight, because trust me, martial arts with glasses is a pain in the neck. (Could they have fixed this? Probably. But they didn’t have the right surgeon on site and couldn’t wait to fly one in, so Genji’s vision suffered a bit.)  
> Title's in Japanese this time (again, written with Latin characters). It's supposed to mean "loyalty", but my knowledge of Japanese extends to bits and pieces learned from Genji, Okami, and the Kirby anime, and so if Google translate got it wrong, tell me and I'll fix it!


	5. Byālēnsa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Push, pull, the tides of battle are ever changing, but Zenyatta and Genji have sailed this sea before.

Many underestimate Zenyatta in battle. Yes, he’s classified as support since his main focus is to help his teammates attack rather than attack the other team, defend his team, or take damage to protect his team.

But he’s lived too long in a world that fears him, in a world that’s against him, for him to not learn how to effectively fight back. He may not like it, and it’s always his last choice, but he can’t remove it from his list. It’s one of the many things he and Mondatta disagreed on; luckily, they both understood that it was a part of an individual soul and bore no ill will between them.

Then Genji comes and trains and learns and, eventually, comes to peace with himself under Zenyatta’s teachings.  But with Genji comes traces of Overwatch, now being recalled. Genji sits silent that night in Northern Alaska, one of the few places barely touched by the looming Omniums and God AIs, and Zenyatta sits with him, worried.

Genji comes to the conclusion that he will go, but he needs to confront Hanzo first. Hanzo left the clan, abandoned it after attempting to murder his brother, and Genji wanted (needed, maybe) to give his brother a chance. But that is a story that’s already been covered somewhere, and the main point here is that Zenyatta goes with him. Not to the actual fight, but close enough that if Genji needs help, he’ll be there.

After that, Gibraltar. Genji doesn’t seem surprised about this.

“Winston was the one who issued the Recall.” Zenyatta knows about Winston; he knows about the gorilla defeating Doomfist and inventing the accelerator that allowed the being Tracer to do what she does, and he knows about the scientists’ disposition towards kindness and love of peanut butter, as well as the fact that because of many factors, the scientist could never really exit any Overwatch bases. He could flit between them, especially after the PETRAS Act, but he remained stationary, probably lost in nostalgia and memories of the only real family he had left. (He was also one of the few agents Genji would mention that had actually _helped_ him, as much as the socially awkward gorilla could. Winston would stay silent if he didn’t know what to say, which meant that Genji always had a quiet place to retreat to if McCree got too rowdy or Tracer talked a little much.)

So off they go. They’re not the first to arrive – Tracer claims that title – but they’re among the first to arrive. Even so, there’s work to be done, so team training begins 24 hours after they arrive, giving them time to settle down and recharge.

Genji and Zenyatta are paired in fights, but only in the last few slots, same as Winston and Tracer.

“You said to have worked together for years. We don’t want those skills to get rusty, but we need to prioritize working with the other heroes first,” Winston explains, more out of habit than necessity. Zenyatta and Genji nod along anyway.

The omnic is paired with Tracer – Lena – first. He can’t hope to move as fast as she can, so he focuses on supporting her; throwing an Orb of Harmony on her as he sees her health falter before throwing Discord Orbs at whoever she’s currently facing. The simulation is quick, in this manner, and Tracer compliments him on his skill, which he takes with a grateful half bow. Genji, meanwhile, was paired with McCree, once again getting used to working with the gunslinger.

It proceeds in this fashion; Zenyatta is slower than most of the heroes currently here and fills in the role of support. He occasionally tosses a few Orbs of Destruction, but most everyone he’s paired with is able to knock out the Training Bots. When more team members are added, Zenyatta focuses on maintaining their health; Angela – Mercy – is currently the only healer other than him, and while she can heal faster than he can she can only do one person at a time, so Zenyatta still focuses on support.

About two weeks later, however, it is time for Zenyatta and Genji to fight on a team. They go against the AI bots (as they have for the past two weeks, unwilling to have one of their scant team members injured in a training accident), and even though they haven’t battled together like this in a little while, it comes almost as naturally as breathing. (Well, in a manner of speaking.)

Zenyatta throws an Orb of Harmony at Genji as he stalks off at a quick pace, leaving Zenyatta slightly behind. Zenyatta follows on the straightforward path with the Friendly Bots as Genji flanks right.

The bots don’t anticipate it. Two of them are down before they notice Genji’s position, and he’s extremely difficult to hit as he bounces around, using his ability to double jump to his advantage. He ducks behind walls only to scramble over top of them, taking the bots down from above.

As the bots are distracted, Zenyatta and the rest arrive. He places a Discord Orb on Genji’s current target before charging up a shot; he lines up his sight with one bot of average health and takes it out as it stands stationary and tries to shoot Genji. He moves to hover behind his student, kicking a low-health bot into pieces as he goes. He quickly finds his center and calls his orbs back to him.

The enemy team is wiped and the point is theirs. It’s contested a few times, but nothing too serious as the Friendly Bots take up defensive positions.

Until the very end, that is.

The bots have their own “ultimate” – the speed, size, and damage of their bullets increases by a number Zenyatta can’t quite remember at this moment (he thinks it’s somewhere around 300%) for a few seconds, and all six activate them at the same time from different directions. The Friendly Bots are down faster than Zenyatta can heal them, and Genji drops next to his master.

Genji can’t deflect that many bullets, especially when they come from that many directions. Neither of them can take more than two hits without being eliminated and, thus, losing the point, forcing them to fight all six bots at once, which is a situation that would be difficult to overcome. There really isn’t much choice or much thought on this matter, and Genji’s right hand swiftly latches onto his katana and presses the release trigger as Zenyatta moves his orbs to circle behind him.

  
_“Ryujin no ken wo kurae!”_

_“Embrace tranquility.”_

 

Genji’s dragon swirls around him before inhabiting the sword, extending the reach and power of it. Genji’s lights glow ethereally, and his dashes leave green after images of his body behind.

Meanwhile, Zenyatta embraces the Iris completely, passing into the Halo as his orbs glow like midday suns and his physical body shines like stars, six ghostly arms extending from his back. The world slows down enough for him to easily see where Genji is, and he speeds up just enough to be able to keep Genji practically invincible during a point in which he’s more vulnerable than usual.

The six are down just as Genji’s dragon exhausts himself, returning back to his dormant state as Genji sheathes his blade. Zenyatta’s orbs return to hover around his neck as he returns to his physical body.

A few seconds later, Athena declares the point theirs. They have performed exceptionally well in this simulation and have earned their victory.

When they turn, the observation deck is full, and there’s more than one dropped jaw.

Genji can’t help but laugh, inducing Zenyatta’s own fit of giggles.

“We walk in harmony,” Genji jokes, making Zenyatta laugh harder. The jaws (namely, McCree’s and Tracer’s) pick themselves up as the two beings make their way into the room.

“Geez, y’all! That was a hell of a show you put on,” McCree greets them.

Zenyatta bows his head humbly. Genji chuckles and shrugs.

“You say that as if our simulation didn’t go in a similar manner, McCree,” he replies.

“Nah, ours went swimmingly. But mine with Zen went a little differently,” McCree states.

“Mine too!” Tracer interjects.

“And mine,” Winston adds.

Genji shook his head as Zenyatta replied. “That is because you had little need of me to do so. In case you forget, my main role is support, though I can fend for myself if needed. Genji and I have battled together many times, and have learned much about each other besides that. The fact that we work so well together should not be surprising, as I believe yours proceeded in a similar fashion, Winston, Tracer.”

“It wasn’t nearly as showy as that though! What was with the -” Tracer gestured here in a wide, circular motion, making Winston and Mercy lean back or get hit in the face.

“The Iris,” Zenyatta explains, but says no more. The excess energy runs out, and Zenyatta feels drained. He sets his feet on the ground and Genji moves next to him, guiding the monk’s arm over his shoulder as Genji moves his spare around his waist. Zenyatta yawns – something had kept him from recharging as long as he should have, and with the experience of passing into the Iris as well as the previous fight, he was exhausted – and Genji excuses them to their room. They both felt more comfortable resting in the same room as the other, and neither had many possessions to speak of, so they got a room to share. It made managing the rooms a little bit easier, too; something no one complained about.

Once they entered, Genji helped Zenyatta onto the mattress. Normally, Zenyatta wouldn’t partake. He didn’t really need the luxury as he could not get cricks in his joints or feel sore afterwards as Genji could, so while he rested nearby he never really spent time on the mattress unless Genji needed the physical reassurance that Zenyatta was near. But he was tired now, and Genji was too stubborn by half, so he made no protests as Genji helped him lay down before climbing and placing Zenyatta’s head in his lap, comfortingly petting the top of his head.

“Rest now, Master,” he said quietly, “Genji is with you.”

“Peace be upon you,” Zenyatta muttered as he switched into recharge mode.

He rested well that night, confident in a familiar role and a job well done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of fun facts for you all today, folks. Also, this is actually remarkably quick in terms of update times for me?? Just because of the way I edit, but for once I'm actually reasonably confident in this one. But uh, I wouldn't expect me to update so quickly in the future. School first, kiddos.  
> Fun fact: I actually wrote up an entire short (I say that as if it’s not around 1200 words) about Genji’s dragon, though I’m still debating whether or not to post it. That’s why the dragon is mentioned the way he is.  
> Fun fact 2: I started playing Overwatch about halfway through October. At this point, Genji’s ult had already been nerfed to 6 seconds instead of the original 8; this means that Zenyatta’s Transcendence lasts as long as Genji’s Dragon Blade. You can do some serious damage with this combo, but it can be difficult if Genji dashes around a lot. (You can also directly counter it, but Genji v. Zen is a story for another time.)  
> Fun fact 3: This was supposed to be about only Zenyatta’s battle prowess, but it ended up being a tag team with Genji. This doesn’t really surprise me; as I said, where one goes, the other is sure to follow.  
> Fun fact four: Originally, the fight was going to be between Genji and Zenyatta and a full team of six bots. I realized that this wouldn’t really be fair due to several little headcannons (as explained here):  
> Before most the roster arrives, the original members are forced to use the Training Bots to avoid injury. Seeing as the bots are really only used for either rehabilitation purposes or refining aim, Winston and Athena work on creating several different difficulties for the bots: easy, medium, and hard. These function in the same way the “Play Against AI” feature works in-game, with the hard bots being aim bots. If a team is short a few slots, they are filled in by Friendly Bots, who are also programmed in the same manner. This gets a little nuts, seeing as the bots deal the same amount of damage and have the same amount of accuracy, so they trade kills all the time. It results in having to rely on the living heroes’ skills (and, occasionally, luck) in order to be victorious against the bots.  
> So it was shifted to this.  
> Fun fact five: This fun fact extended into something like another chapter, describing various pairings of these six characters and how well they did in these training simulations in my timeline. It added another page in MS Word, so it has thus been removed.  
> Fun fact six: Genji and Winston have another interaction now, in which Genji says that Winston was his favorite to work with since there was no awkward small talk. Winston thanks him about how you would expect him too. I got this interaction with a friend in King’s Row with them playing Genji and me playing Winston in Mystery Heroes. I like to think that this extended to base, mostly because… well, what would you say to someone in Genji’s position at the time?  
> Chapter Title in Nepali (with Latin characters) once again; probably just going to switch between the two languages from now on. This time it means "Balance", though once again I am forced to rely on Google Translate, so if it's wrong, tell me and I'll fix it.


	6. Ramen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They, it appears, are the exceptions.

Every Shimada gets a dragon tattoo when their bond is completed. It’s tradition. Not everyone’s is the same; but there are common places and elements. Storm clouds as a background. Typically on a body part that helps in battle, somehow – an arm, a leg, the spine. Generally the mouth is open, frozen in a fearsome roar. There are some exceptions, of course, but as far as Genji knows, everyone has at least one of these elements in their tattoo.

Genji is the exception. His tattoo starts on his left deltoid, wraps up and around his back, and loops above his right shoulder so that way the head rests on his chest, right over his heart. His tattoo rests on dark clouds, but there’s no storm behind them. The mouth is closed and the image looks strangely docile if you’re not paying attention – there’s tension in the claws and the legs are ready to pounce, the eyes narrowed in a fearsome display, but other than that, it seems… calmer than the others’.

Many of the Shimadas view the dragons as gods – deities to call upon to turn the battle in your favor, or ensure a victory. Tools that are highly respected, but not really a solid entity or conscious.

Genji is the exception. His dragon is not summoned in a desperate battle like many others’ were, like his father simulated for Hanzo and then tried for him. No; his spiritual guardian is summoned during a moment of loneliness, of hidden pain, in that strange hour that is neither night nor day.

Genji is crying. Silently, out of sight, safely with a knife under his pillow and shuriken in a drawer, he is crying. His mother is dead, his father is lost, and their souls and inflected darkness seem determined to drag his brother down with them and Genji has no idea how to stop it and help, dammit he doesn’t know how to help himself so he loses hours and days and nights and weeks and months to stupid cheesy arcade games and sex that doesn’t mean anything other than a quick release and his brother is drowning in talk of “honor” and “duty”-

There’s a warm presence around his shoulders and a scaled snout poking at his cheek. Genji has seen enough dragons to not freak out at his own appearing before him, but he’s confused. Didn’t the dragons only appear in battle?

A brief press of indignation, amusement, and empathic sorrow wash over Genji, and the small, glowing, green dragon pushes into Genji’s cheek once again. Genji scratches the dragon, only noticing that he stopped crying after he had woken up on the floor with no dragon but a feeling of companionship lodged in his mind, a feeling that wasn’t his own.

He tells his father, asks the dragon to show itself to prove that he has completed the bond as much as he can, and is met with a blank stare.

The dragon curled around Genji’s shoulders is smaller than the elder Shimada by far, and yet he still manages to stare him down, looking remarkably unimpressed by the elder.

Genji knows that the dragons usually appear in a large, terrifying form when asked for proof of the bond, usually offended by the presumption that the clan that respects them so much would _lie_ about their presence (and also, probably, to intimidate the others, a constant climbing of a disgusting ladder), but his dragon obviously feels no such inclination.

His dragon, it seems, is the exception.

His father takes him to the tattoo artist who works for them. His father leaves, letting Genji decide how the dragon will be depicted, only to see it if Genji choses to show it. Hanzo bears his with pride on his arm; firstborn son of the head of the clan bearing no secrecy. Genji is more covert in his operations, the second born constantly in shadows, learning to use them instead of wallowing in their depths.

His first thought for the tattoo, before he had shown his father the completed bond, was on his spine. The spine carried commands in his nervous system, allowing him to throw shuriken and use his blade exceptionally well, but Genji quickly dismissed it. If the dragon had appeared during battle, perhaps it would’ve been a more serious consideration. But he hadn’t, so it wasn’t.

Genji’s next thought is to mirror his brother – a spiraling tattoo upon his right arm. Again, this idea is quickly dismissed. There is no weight to it other than a desperate, selfish wish that seems wrong to be forced upon the dragon that had kept him company when he needed it most.

That’s when Genji had an epiphany, and he knew exactly where the tattoo would be and what it would look like.

His father raises an eyebrow when Genji comes to dinner and he doesn’t see a tattoo, but he says nothing.

Hanzo scoffs when he sees that it’s circling Genji like a contented cat, and only storms away when Genji shortly informs him that no, he does not need help picking a name as the dragon has already chosen to respond to Ramen, of all things. Genji finds it strange himself, but he had tossed several suggestions at the dragon, and of course his throw-away, half-joking idea was the one that was met with gusto. Genji laughs, because… well, why not?

Later, as he’s lying in the rubble of the reluctant duel, he’s grateful he picked the location of his shoulders instead of his second thought, as his right arm is torn to shreds and probably unable to be recovered. If there’s anything left of it, that is; the blood loss and dust make it hard to see. Or feel.

Ramen’s screaming doesn’t help either. It’s a mixture of anger and sadness and pain for his charge, and it changes into a song of hope when it sees a blonde figure with artificial wings swoop in.

Genji doesn’t remember. He passed out some time ago.

During his first stint in Overwatch, he’s not sure whether to be grateful that he still has the tattoo or pissed at the reminder of the clan that killed him. It’s still whole, still intact, and Genji is grateful that Ramen only suffered through empathy instead of the ink bound link, but he cannot help but remember that only a Shimada could have such a bond, and he’s not really a Shimada anymore is he? Ramen offers no help, something that frustrates and relieves Genji at the same time. He loves the dragon, he knows he does, but there’s one sad truth in life he’s found and that’s that we hurt those we love the best*. So he says nothing, accepting the familiar weight of the dragon upon his shoulders in the dark of night when everyone who’s mostly flesh is sleeping but Genji is already done with resting.

It’s during this time that he acquires Ryu Ichimongi. Not everyone in the clan was aware of the plan to kill Genji, not everyone was a criminal. The blacksmith was one of them, bound by a debt from years ago that an elder claimed on after they had risen to power. The blacksmith makes the sword for Genji out of gratitude; though they are not happy that the result has come to this they are glad it has been resolved. They give him the sword with very little ceremony and say “Fly well, little Sparrow,” before they flee to parts unknown.

Ramen stares at the sword before looking back at Genji, and the words come unbidden to his lips as the small dragon grows and swirls around his body and sword.

Genji enters the training grounds on base, later, and practices solo. The destruction the dragon can cause is great, but Ramen returns to him, drained and… Genji doesn’t know what the other feeling is, only gathering a distinct feeling of discomfort and disgust. The Shimada dragons can be fierce, he knows, and also bloodthirsty.

Ramen, it appears, is the exception; a bleeding heart of a dragon.

But there was a darkness that crept upon the organization, and it was only growing darker. Genji saw it and left, knowing there was something _wrong_ in his soul and partially convinced that everything he touched in life was destined to whither and crumble and destroy him in the process. So he left. He wasn’t really needed there anymore, anyway – the Shimada clan was as dismantled as could be. Hanzo had left, Genji was presumed dead, and any elder that held power or sway no longer did, whether through loss of life or blackmail or other means. Ramen is silent on his decision, and Genji feels a pang of remorse from the reptilian creature. He did not depart on the best of notes, but he did not leave any fights or wrongs.

He ends up leaving on a better note than most, in the end.

He wandered for a long time, eventually pushing his limits more and more before finally exceeding them sometime while he was in Nepal, only having enough energy to see a doorway and a flash of color before collapsing.

He couldn’t hear Ramen’s whimpers. He didn’t see as the dragon materialized, startling the two monks as he curled protectively around his charge, hissing and snapping but eventually letting the silver-gold-yellow one pick Genji up and carry him to a separate room, a glowing, golden orb attaching to the cyborg as they went. The white-bright-silver one briskly walked to a cupboard, where Ramen saw flits of warm-color-weave. The dragon was calmed slightly by this notion.

No one keeps someone they’re going to kill _warm._

Ramen perches high and guards his charge as much as possible – the words hold power, allow him to grow and inhabit the sword that now rests by his charge’s bedside, but even if he could enter the blade he’d be useless without Genji to wield it. The two are separate entities, flowing around each other in balance.

Zenyatta sees this as he sits next to the cyborg that had collapsed inside their door. He looks up towards the little dragon and begins speaking.

“I mean him no harm.”

Ramen snorts. Not any now, at least, but they had thought the same of many before and… well. Genji’s not completely human anymore, muscles and bones and ligaments replaced with chrome and carbon fiber and synthetic material. But he makes no moves to chase the monk away.

“You’re a long way from home, are you not?” It’s clear that the robot ( _omnic,_ Ramen remembers Genji explaining once), doesn’t expect an answer. Ramen still tilts his head and claws in the way that means a shrug, but only Genji has ever been able to understand his body language, so it’s a useless gesture. (What is home for his charge, anyway? The cherry-blossom-wood-death no longer is, the cord cut with the sword that sliced through skin and bone, and the cramped-metal-building-storm place never was. Ramen will have a home so long as Genji breathes, but what does his charge have? Ramen worries.) He stares at his charge, still out cold. The warm-color-weaves are helping, and so Genji will wake up, in time.

Ramen watches. It’s all he can do, for now.

Genji wakes up hours later, looking around his strange surroundings as he quickly clips his blades back in place. Ramen comes down from his perch and slips around his charge’s shoulders. The cyborg feels a certain amount of peace come over him – Ramen does that, sometimes. A feeling of trepidation washes over him, and the sense of… wanting to _try_. He looked at the dragon curiously; Ramen had never sent that feeling before.

_Rest easy, little one,_ and Genji would’ve laughed at the odd endearment if Ramen hadn’t sounded so relieved and worried all at once and wasn’t _speaking_ to him, _the silver-gold-yellow has helped and healed, and the bright-white-silver one has kept you warm with warm-color-weave._

Genji is confused and wary, but… Ramen doesn’t speak often, relying on the empathy link and Genji’s willingness to understand him. Ramen has earned his trust, and so Genji will listen.

When Zenyatta returns with a cup of tea, Genji thanks him quietly.

“What is your name, stranger?” the monk asks kindly.

“Genji.”

Those are the last words Genji speaks for a long time, the passage of the sun and moon meaning little to him no that he has no direction to go. The only reason he does not leave is the feeling that Ramen had sent to him when he had first woken up – a willingness to _try._

Ramen didn’t appear much beyond that first night, letting Genji find his own way. He’s grateful for that, the way the dragon lets him come to his own conclusions about the monastery and the beings who reside there.

It’s the day Genji realizes he trusts the omnic Ramen called _silver-gold-yellow_ that Ramen appears in a physical form once again, this time summoned by Genji.

Through the link, Ramen knows that his charge trusts the omnic, and that the omnic has earned every inch given. It’s why he appears in his docile (and preferred) form, curled around Genji’s shoulders.

“Hello again, friend,” Zenyatta greets. Ramen nods in his direction.

“Zenyatta, this is Ramen. Ramen, this is Zenyatta.” It’s a simple statement, but Ramen feels everything buried behind it – the respect, the trust, the companionship Genji feels towards this being made of metal and wires and stardust and warmth – and is more amicable. He shows this by slithering into Zenyatta’s lap, making the omnic start and sending Genji into a laughing fit.

Ramen likes the silver-gold-yellow-friend who had helped his charge where he could not.

The dragon can only hope that Genji’s cobblestone-gravel-mountain-path of a life becomes a little more stable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I freaking love dragons. I freaking love the noodle dragon headcannon, and the idea that Genji’s dragon is named “Ramen”. Thus, this was born.  
> Fun fact two: Ramen being reluctant to fight is based on how long it takes Genji’s ultimate to charge.  
> Fun fact three: I had this thought at like 3 am one night which led to 2000+ words about a noodle dragon and his charge: “Genji’s dragon tattoo rests around his shoulders like a companion, for that is what the spiritual guardian is to Genji: a friend instead of a weapon or tool or god. The dragon, in its own way, appreciates this, and that is why Genji has Ramen.” Mostly because I want Genji to still have a dragon tattoo after his cyberization.   
> Fun fact four: I have no idea if this one shot is going to have any continuity to it other than Ramen's characterization and Genji's tattoo placement.  
> * One of my favorite poems, “Life’s Scars” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.  
> There's one sad truth in life I've found  
> While journeying east and west -  
> The only folks we really wound  
> Are those we love the best.  
> We flatter those we scarcely know,  
> We please the fleeting guest,  
> And deal full many a thoughtless blow  
> To those who love us best.


	7. Sinku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which students teach other.  
> (OCs warning.)

Zenyatta has had many previous students, though few were as troubled as Genji or studied as long as he. Genji meets a few of them, in their travels, whether by arrangement or merry coincidence.

Zenyatta is always pleasantly surprised that one of his students remembers who he is, something Genji doesn’t truly understand. He asks Zenyatta about it one night.

“Do you remember the face of every teacher you had in school? Every name? To be remembered is to have made an impression, and to be smiled at is to have made a good one. That is why I started out, as you know,” the monk explained.

Genji nods, though a small part of him still doesn’t understand.

Some of the students welcome Genji with open arms. Others balk at him, all sharp angles and blades. All of them understand, however, the feelings you get when you learn from Zenyatta.

One of them laughs, sharp but genuine. “He’s stubborn as a bull, of course,” they say as Genji sighs about the condition his master is in after a hostile conflict where Genji wasn’t present, “He’s not gonna ask for help unless he desperately needs it, and even then it’s 50-50. He’s a helper, Mister. It means he’s used to dishing it out more than getting it in return. You seem to be challenging that a lot, though. Keep that up, will ya? The world’ll be a poorer place without him.”

An older one titters. “Everyone falls a little bit in love with Zenyatta. How could you not? He believes in all of us with everything he has, gives us a part of him and we bear our souls in turn. How could you not love someone like that?” (Genji denies it, at first, but comes to realize the truth of the man’s words later on in time.)

Another smirks. “Caught you of guard, right? He does that. He looks so unassuming, then _pow!_ Right in the kisser.” Genji absentmindedly rubs his arm, the place where Zenyatta had hit him hard enough to leave a knot in the remaining flesh the first time they had sparred. “He’s like that with words, too. Little things to put you off guard, distract you, then he’ll move in for the big shocker. Not to phrase it so negatively, but it’s what he does. He’s sneaky when he wants to be.”

“His heart’s a few sizes too big. It’ll do some good in this world, where many have hearts too small, but therein lies the issue,” says another as everyone else rests. A bout of insomnia had come over them both, and Genji sits in a comfortable chair with a warm mug of what this student calls ‘nightmare ward’. “He’ll give out bits and pieces of himself to people who will only break them. Everyone deserves a chance – that much I learned from him – but sometimes, you must cut them loose. Some people will never come around. Not to say that you shouldn’t keep trying, but that you must find the balance point. For all he preaches about it, I think it’s something he’s still struggling to find.” (Genji thinks of his brother and the clan and agrees with them.)

“The next time I walk into plastic wrap, I’m blaming you. I don’t care if you’re in bloody Antarctica; I guarantee it’s because of you I’m walking into freaking Saran wrap,” another grumbles, shoving the offensive material away as Zenyatta chuckles away. “Bloody lucky Suz wasn’t with me, she’d claw you up, metal be damned,” they continued. Genji is laughing silently, though apparently they catch on as they glare at the both of them over her shoulder. “Yeah, laugh it up you damn foxes. The pair of you.” They shake their head, exasperated at the two pranksters.

“It’s weird to feel safe around him,” another one signs. Genji has picked up more than a few languages in his wanderings, sign language being one of them. It’s different from country to country, but there are many basics that are shared between them, so he can at least haphazard a guess if not understand. “Omnics don’t –didn’t- oh, whatever. Reason wasn’t a big thing, they just did. They’d attack and you’d never know why. It’s weird to feel that he won’t. Safety is something he gives freely, even to those who wouldn’t return the favor.” (She was one of them, he knows, someone who’s trying to change their way of thinking simply because she had met his master. He knows the feeling well.) She stares at him, fire in her eyes. “Return the favor.” Genji nods – he has already made that promise at some point (with fewer words, mind you) – and has no intention of breaking it now.

Another is startled as Genji wakes to her presence in the room. She had had a nightmare and entered the room in her habit of coping, forgetting about her guests. She has a cup of some steaming liquid that Genji comes to find out is nightmare ward, something Zenyatta had learned from another student and taught her in turn. The cyborg is reminded of that sleepless night where the two had talked about Zenyatta’s heart being too big. The omnic sleeps on during this, and the former student nearly touches his cheek in a maternal manner before pulling back and sitting down on the other side of Genji. “It is easy to forget how young he is with all the wisdom he spouts,” she murmurs, “A child forced to grow up too fast, I think.” (Genji knows the feeling.) “Be careful with him, mister. He is the kind of person who’d set himself on fire to keep others warm.” They both stare at the omnic, eyes tracing over scratches and rust, and wonder how many of them came from those who chose to backstab the monk.

A middle-age man comments as the two make dinner for the rest of the mostly biotic people in the house. Genji had offered to help out of both wanting to flex his culinary muscles again as well as wanting to repay the family for allowing them to stay (even though they would not accept any sort of payment). “It’s good you’re with him,” the previous student says as he chops vegetables and throws them into a pot filled with broth and spices, “he gets caught up in that head of his too much. He tends to pull into himself if there’s no one to pull him out, and one day I fear he’s gonna find that he went too deep. There are just some rabbit holes you shouldn’t go down. You’re good for him, I think.” (Genji thinks that the other way around is more truthful, but he accepts the man’s words. In time, he’ll even come to understand them.)

Sometimes the children of the students will speak to him. Normally it’s about him being a “green cyborg ninja guy”, but sometimes they’ll have their own wisdom to depart.

“He’s good at hiding, isn’t he Mr. Ninja?” One asks as they play an impromptu game of hide-and-seek while her parents attended to some business or another that had cropped up in their visit. “Dad asks him that, sometimes. He gets angry about it. It seems a little silly to get really mad about a game of hide and seek though.” Genji nods in compliance, but he thinks her father gets upset about more than a lost child’s game. This is confirmed later the same night as everyone else is resting.

“He’s good at hiding what he’s actually feeling. I messaged him after King’s Row; I may not have known Mondatta but it’s impossible to not see the resemblance. What I got back was ‘I am safe and well. Thank you for asking after me.’ And it sounds like him but it doesn’t, either.” He sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose, a movement of perpetual exhaustion. “Then he told me he had you. And now that I’ve met you, I know you’ve done him a world of good, just as he’s done for you. Keep it up, if you don’t mind; the world needs more people like Master Zenyatta. Not everyone can do it, but you’ve managed this long.”

Genji feels a mixture of warmth from the praise and cold from the mention of those days after Mondatta’s death. Zenyatta had retreated into himself, quiet and unseeing. He sent the same text message to everyone who had messaged him, and Genji really just wanted to rip the phone away and tell him that it was okay to take time to mourn. (He didn’t the first night. Zenyatta was still reeling from shock. The next night, however, was fair game.)

An older child one is a bit crasser. “I doubt he’s peaceful all the time. No one is that zen.” They roll their eyes at their own incidental pun. “The point the Shambali are trying to make is that they’re humanoid in more than just general body structure, right? They feel and shit too, right? Does he ever just come out and say it, or is it like trying to herd a damn group of cats?” (Sometimes, is the answer Genji will give, and other times it’s like trying to remove teeth. He is corrected – “like pulling teeth, ninja dude. American idioms are hard; don’t feel bad.”)

They all know Zenyatta and treat him like family. He’s like the cherished cousin or uncle; he doesn’t understand quite a few of the family’s in-jokes, but he’s welcome none-the-less. Genji feels a bit like an outsider at these points, almost like he’s watching a movie. He sees the action but isn’t truly a part of it. Then Zenyatta somehow manages to get him to participate, or the children. The adults let him sit there, usually, though a few try to include him, but they are more wary of stepping on toes.

They all have bits and pieces they have learned, either from Zenyatta or others or their own experiences and interpretations, and they’ll share the information when it’s relevant. Genji has his own favorite scrap of wisdom that one of the younger students taught him one night before Overwatch recalled.

“We never really stop learning,” she had said after the talk had expanded into what the future path holds. A conversation in which Genji felt out of place, going where the winds take him so long as it’s by Zenyatta (but he is terrified of Zenyatta running out of things to teach him and severing their relationship). “At one point, we all just start teaching each other. You’ve probably taught him a thing or two,” she smiled.

Genji smiled back, unseen. He’d have to remember that one and use it on Zenyatta, when the time was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol minor character OC central here.  
> Chatper title is Neapali/Latin characters meaning "to learn".  
> Fun fact: This short (lol 1800+ words is “short”) was a long time in planning, with several versions scrapped.  
> Fun fact two: All of the students are different ages and genders, ranging from 20 years old to 67 (with the exception of the hide-and-seek child and teenager mentioned, who are 5 and 17, respectively). I use they/them as gender-neutral pronouns because I have never learned the proper use of “xe” or “zir” and don’t know any reputable sources to find out, seeing as all my non-binary friends use they/them.  
> Fun fact three: Zenyatta is a complex individual, but if I had to boil my characterization of him down it would be three phrases: “you can’t spell pacifist without ‘fist’”, “the kind of person who would set himself on fire to keep others warm”, and “a sense of humor as dry as a desert”. (AKA I love my sassy support robot.)  
> Fun fact four: Genji and Zenyatta both suffer bouts of intense loneliness, but the other being near helps them. It’s why they share a room, usually. (It’s not because I’m projective as hell, oh no.)  
> Fun fact five: All the OCs are based off of people I know in real life, including my roommates, my dad, my best friends, and some classmates.  
> Fun fact six: “Nightmare ward” is hot chocolate with cinnamon and honey mixed in. I have no exact measurements for you, but you can use just about any hot chocolate with this. I actually call it “nightmare fuel”, but its actual purpose is meant to be soothing. Advice: start out with a spoonful of cinnamon and enough honey to generously coat the bottom of the mug. Adjust to taste.  
> Fun fact seven: The reason no one calls Genji by his name is a result of two things: one, he never tells any of them his name; two, Zenyatta is a freaking troll at times and you can’t convince me otherwise (see the paragraph about the Saran wrap) and tells them to address Genji as “green cyborg ninja dude”, or some combination thereof. Most of them ignore that and tend to stick to “Mister”, though as you can see, the children tend to mix it up.


	8. Silent Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no fun to be had. There are words that need said, but there are none to say them with.  
> This chapter deals with politics, unfortunately inspired by the current situation of the world, especially America. I know many people use this site as a safe space, so if you want fluff, please proceed to the next chapter that is being posted in tandem. It should be entitled “Z’s Are Good for Sleeping” or something similar.

There are some days Zenyatta can’t handle. He has a soul, too, and it gets tired of trying to passively deal with any aggression he may suffer. Words hurt, after all, but he can do nothing about them except respond dryly. There are some days, though, where all he wants to do is lash out, tell them exactly how much their words hurt, but he knows that it would only hurt the causes he stands for and thus doesn’t.

He knows the reasoning behind several attacks, but Genji brings up the same question every time he sits down to help his master repair himself.

“Master, is it reasoning? Or are you providing excuses?”

There’s a fine line between the two, he knows. On one hand, he cannot hold Zarya or Torbjorn completely responsible for their hatred, considering the damage other omnics have done on their lives. (Torbjorn’s host of children are back in Sweden. Some of them were by his late wife, killed in an omnic raid, and some of them he took under his wing after said omnic raid. Zarya goes to visit her uncle’s grave whenever she’s in Russia, he knows; the man was killed in an omnic battle.)

But that should not excuse their behavior towards him, or other omnics they meet in their travels.

“And I will watch yours in turn,” Zenyatta says dryly, a roundabout way of telling Zarya to _focus on the mission_. Soldier: 76 turns his head, and though you can see it, Zenyatta knows he’s glaring, though at who is hard to tell. Zenyatta doesn’t outwardly react, but his soul stings at both the others’ actions. Is he supposed to lie down and take the threats from a teammate? He won’t. His soul burns, and the agents Talon sent never stand a chance that day.

Genji is quick to catch it when the team returns – the ninja’s skill was needed elsewhere, and his mission had ended a short while before Zenyatta’s did. Sensing the mood, Genji quickly intervenes and asks Zenyatta to help with the azaleas in one of their many garden rooms.

The azaleas withered a week ago. It’s just a coded excuse for Zenyatta to escape from the tension for now; the mission debrief can happen later.

They walk together to the room Genji had specified. Zenyatta picks up the scent of wet dirt and figures that Genji has tended to this room already. He sighs, letting as much tension as he could go. It’s not an easy task, living with people who wouldn’t think twice about doing him harm.

Then Genji sets a hand on his shoulder, and Zenyatta takes comfort out of the million things the action says.

“I’m with you,” Genji says, and Zenyatta feels it in his core.

It is not easy, the path he walks. He can only hope that there are better things farther down the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fact One: There is little to no fun to be found in these facts.  
> Fact Two: I am American, and I cannot apologize enough.  
> Fact Three: I am American, and I am scared.  
> Fact Four: I’m not kidding when I say that there are things to say and no words to say them with; this particular piece has had at least six different incarnations, all of which have been scrapped. Even this one I have my doubts about but… something needs to be said, sooner rather than later.  
> Please, guys, help where you can, and be kind where it matters. Keep your eyes open, and most importantly, stay safe. The world has both kindness and cruelty in it; we do not need hate.  
> Then again, if you’re reading this, chances are I’m preaching to a choir, aren’t I?


	9. Z's Are Good For Sleeping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May the moon's silvery beams bring you sweet dreams. Sandman, take us away.

Sleep is something that Genji and Zenyatta do not require much of. Neither sleep in the entirely human sense - though Genji comes closer to this idea than Zenyatta, instead going into a state of low power where any extra systems are shut down – such as optics – and vital systems remain functional. However, they can ensure that one system stays on if they so desire, entering more of a dozing-like state. It makes the recharge period take longer due to more power being used, but in the end all cells are charged and recalibrated, if necessary.

Genji tends to sacrifice touch for audio at night. Temperature bothers him very little now; he needs only be wary of damage from road salt and spending an hour in -26 C weather with no protection. Comfort was hard to come by while dismantling the Shimada clan, and Genji had too much anger to really care about how soft a bed was, so he turned off most of his touch sensors in order to preserve power. Audio, however, allowed him to still be aware of his surroundings, ensuring he’d be able to “wake up” if something happened suddenly. Nowadays, it’s more out of habit than anything, but Zenyatta will play his orbs until he himself falls into sleep mode.

Zenyatta keeps his audio low – only enough to hear Genji in the same room – finding it difficult to sleep in such a loud environment. Despite this, he has issues falling asleep when alone. Having spent the majority of his time as an Awakened omnic in the Shambali monastery, he’s used to having many others around. It’s part of the reason he turns his audio down – his fellow monks and nuns could be deafening if they wanted to be, and sometimes the path to enlightenment took surprising turns. It will take a long time for him to rest if there’s not a friendly (or at least allied) presence nearby. On more than one occasion in their travels Genji has come back from various errands and tasks to see Zenyatta dozing with the lights on. He turns them off before either dragging the bed closer to Zenyatta or Zenyatta closer to the cots on which he rests. He had asked his master about that, once. Zenyatta had simply replied “It feels less lonely like that.” Genji nodded – Zenyatta had not said as much, but Genji knew that since leaving the Shambali the monk often suffered bouts of intense loneliness, especially if Genji wasn’t around. Genji used to feel the same way before… Before.

It’s one of the many reasons they share a room in the Overwatch base at Gibraltar. Genji feels better with Zenyatta around, knowing he’s not alone should something go wrong and someone sneaks into the room, and Zenyatta can sleep better. Neither have many material possessions – Genji had some, mostly photographs, and Zenyatta had various bits and trinkets given to him by grateful strangers or past students – and neither take up much space. The rooms that were cleaned out and once again inhabitable by living beings were sparse at the beginning as well; there were very few people who were needed in many different places. There simply wasn’t enough time for managing the homestead. So they shared a room and lightened the load of cleaning, both in their room and in others. While both required rest, neither required as much as the others who were mostly flesh. It’s thanks to this that when Angela, D.Va, Lucio, Pharah, Mei, Torbjorn, and Reinhart arrive that they all have separate rooms to occupy. Winston nearly trips over himself in gratitude for the duo’s efforts, something they both brush off; Zenyatta because it was a kind thing to do and thus had reason to do so, and Genji because he did it for Winston (who, admittedly, was one of his favorite people back in his first bout with Overwatch. No awkward small talk).

It’s peaceful in their room, really. Zenyatta acquires several small, potted plants that take very little maintenance to survive, and Genji has an incense burner that they both keep stocked, rotating scents as the mood strikes. Cheap candles sit on the nightstand, and Zenyatta has several large, fluffy pillow scattered around for lounging, as well as several Pachimari plushies of various sizes. He and Genji had gotten them while in Hanamura due to an impulse of the cyborg that he couldn’t fully explain. They were soft and cozy none the less, and Genji often woke to find Zenyatta hugging one as he recharged. (It’s adorable, truly, seeing his master hunched about the smiling onion creature almost protectively.)

Despite the peacefulness of the room, it isn’t strange to find one (or both, usually) of them sleeping somewhere else. On more than one occasion Morrison (76. Whatever he’s going by; he cannot fool Genji’s sensors for long, and Zenyatta is more observant than most think at first) has stumbled upon them in the common room with Zenyatta’s lights dulled and Genji’s just coming to life, focused on him. (He never was able to sneak up on the ninja.) Sometimes, if the weather permits, Angela (then Pharah, then Hanzo, later) will find them on the roof. Sometimes they’re meters apart, sometimes they’re so close it’s hard to tell how they fell asleep originally, sometimes Genji has a Harmony Orb hanging around him, and sometimes Zenyatta has his hand tangled in Genji’s ribbon as it rests on his head. They usually rest undisturbed; they’re never in the way and Genji usually wakes up whenever someone’s within five feet of them, so there’s no point in waking them.

Genji thinks about all this one night. It’s late, so they’ll rest soon enough, but for right now, Genji is content to just stay here with his head in Zenyatta’s lap as the latter rests on a pillow. They have about half a dozen small Pachimaris scattered around them, and Genji is currently holding onto a larger one as Zenyatta pets his hair, now uncovered with the removal of the various parts that make up his helm.

“Sleep, little sparrow. All will be well,” Zenyatta murmurs.

Genji smiles, slightly, as he obeys. He sees gold light behind his eyelids and knows that he will suffer no nightmares tonight, not with all the tranquility surrounding him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I’m cheating here a bit, as well as with the last chapter title that was supposed to be in Japanese. To explain, “Z’s are good for sleeping” is a Japanese pun that doesn’t translate so well into English. I learned it from watching “Hoshi no Kabaii” (Kirby of the Stars) on YouTube one spring. American 4Kids viewers may remember it as “Kirby: Right Back At Ya!”, though the pun wasn’t present (due to localization).  
> Fun fact one: Though Genji shutters and is affected by Mei’s endothermic blaster, I figure anything cold enough to literally freeze people is bound to be colder than is natural, so Genji has a partial immunity to cold in this.  
> Fun fact two: This was written mainly to explain why the hell I keep mentioning Genji and Zenyatta sharing a room in Overwatch even though most everything I write is mainly interpreted as platonic. It got away from me a bit.  
> Fun fact three: I’m projective as hell, so Zenyatta has my sleeping issues. Sorry mate. And yes, I do leave the lights on if all of my roommates are missing; I feel a little guilty about it but I literally will not be able to fall asleep if I don’t. The loneliness is suffocating.  
> Fun fact four: Zenyatta knows within three days who Soldier: 76 really is. Genji figures it out shortly afterwards, but figure he has his reasons for keeping quiet, and thus say nothing. Morrison figures out that they know much more slowly and only figures it out when he notices Genji treating him like a former commander (and tells him to cut it out).  
> Fun fact five: Zenyatta is, in fact, shorter than Genji in my universe. “Little sparrow” is a term of endearment, referring to Genji’s ability and willingness to grow; something he appreciates. (He still gives Zenyatta crap about it, sometimes.)  
> Fun fact six: The room décor is inspired by so many things, most of which you can find buried somewhere in daily-genyatta on Tumblr. Seriously, they’re amazing. They are against Gency and make no secret of it, but the solo mod does their absolute best to keep it safe for everyone. They do post NSFW, so fair warning about that.


	10. Samānubhūti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To understand is to damn yourself. To walk in ignorance is to blind yourself.

“Master,” Genji starts during one of their mediation sessions, “why did you choose to teach the way you do?” It wasn’t a light question, but Genji did not intend for it to have the weight it obviously did. Then again, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, isn’t it?

Zenyatta makes a sound akin to a sigh. Having spent so much time around humans, he picks up some of their traits to both express himself in a way they can understand as well as to blend in a bit more.

“A weighted question,” he starts. His orbs stop bouncing, but continue their rotation. “And one that is not easily answered.” He stops, waiting. Genji sits patiently – he knows what it’s like to struggle for words.

“I cannot say that it was much of a choice. That implies that I could understand and accept the reason for both methods, but I cannot accept Mondatta’s ideas. How could speeches given to crowds convince anyone of change? After all, would not our audience only be made of those who agree with us already?” The orbs spin faster now. “What is the point of preaching to them?”

“There’s more,” Genji pushes, because there’s something in Zenyatta’s posture that tells him that there is something the omnic both does and doesn’t want to say.

Zenyatta pauses for a moment longer before turning to look at Genji out of his periphal vision. “Empathy can also work in the fact that if they choose to continue such actions, they feel shame. Because no longer is it another omnic, some machine that doesn’t have a soul,” and Genji can hear the well hidden distain at his master’s utterance of the protest they hear so frequently, “it is me. Their master, their friend is who they are tearing to pieces. After that, they stop, usually.”

Genji flinches internally. It is a cold truth that yes, that was how empathy could work, for it was a door that can open in two directions. An easy way for both sides to get hurt, but as Zenyatta said: it’s worth the risk. Even so, Genji can’t help but feel a twang of sympathy for his master. The omnic had stated the information with a blank tone born of practice, evidence that he was clearly uncomfortable with what was probably an unintentional side effect of his teaching. Genji can understand him claiming it was somewhat intentional – Zenyatta tends to be able to see many angles, and this might have been one he considered – but he also knows that maybe, maybe… it was just a way of acceptance. He used to do that, long ago, trying to make robot and cyborg jokes and jokes about being a sparrow back when he was made of more flesh, trying to own it. After all, if you’re the one saying it first, you’re okay with it, right? (He was never able to convince himself.)

Genji places his hand on Zenyatta’s knee in comfort. The omnic seems surprised by the gesture, but he grabs the cyborg’s hand in turn. Genji nods his head and the two turn back to their mediation like that, using the other as an anchor.

(Genji doesn’t say “I understand” because, if he’s being honest, he doesn’t. At least, not completely. But he does empathize with pain and grief and shame, and he lets Zenyatta know that in the ways he knows how.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title should be Nepali for "Empathy". Note the "should be".  
> Fun Fact 1: I can see both Mondatta’s and Zenyatta’s perspectives on how to teach; both have their merits towards different but relevant audiences. After all, you want to convince people of your cause, but you also don’t want to ignore the people who already agree with you.  
> Fun Fact 2: People will start sounding like the people they live around or hear/see frequently as a sort of… herd mentality? To integrate into a community? I forget the actual terminology but it’s a legit thing. I feel like Zenyatta, as integrated into humanity as he is, would experience such a phenomenon.   
> Less Fun Fact 1: This story will probably slow down and take a longer break. I’m actually working on a Genji/Zenyatta (which will actually be shippy b/c, gasp, I’m getting someone else to help me with the actually romantic parts) fic that I want to do and am actually doing research for. Actual research. And also I need to communicate with another author on that, so we’ll see how it goes.  
> Less Fun Fact 2: I’m also running low on ideas here. If you’ve got a bridge for Genji and/or Zenyatta, feel free to get in contact with me.
> 
> Fun Fact:  
> Battle ID: MissZI#1236 (that’s ZI as in Zorua Illusion)  
> You’ll also find me in hard AI and Brawls, usually with other people. I play at odd hours, but you’ll always find me online around 8 pm on Thursdays until May 2017. I do use mic, though I don’t initiate conversation. Feel free to ping me; though I will tell you that I might not accept your friend request if I don’t recognize the name, so just send me another if it gets declined.


	11. Rinku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They might all be different, but they can all relate to each other.

It comes as no surprise to anyone that Zenyatta is the first to welcome the Bastion Unit among their ranks. It’s also not a surprise that Genji soon follows in welcoming the aged Siege Automaton, given his own history.

Bastion was… surprisingly quiet. They took on no name, no pronouns like other omnics chose to, simply content with the shortening of “Bastion Unit” to “Bastion” and the use of they/them, since it was very clear that Bastion wasn’t an “it”. (Zarya had tried that, once, only to be pinned by three glares from Tracer, Lucio, and Genji. All were startling in their own ways, and while Zarya didn’t show any outward reaction, she didn’t try it again.) They tended to resort to solitude, only interacting with the bird – Ganyamede – that had chosen for whatever reason to hang around Bastion. Short of that, they tend to only stick around the people who don’t mind them: Tracer, Lucio, Genji, Zenyatta, Mei, Pharah, Winston, and surprisingly D. Va and Reinhardt as well. They often join Genji and Zenyatta’s meditation sessions, though they do not participate in the practice. Instead, they tend to run internal repairs or check on the nest Ganyamede has made on their shoulder.

They ask questions during this period too, though rarely. Zenyatta and Genji answer them as best they can, though sometimes both of them will shake their heads and Genji will say “It is something learned through experience,” which leaves none of them feeling satisfied but none of them bitter, either.

Bastion tends to hang around Zenyatta for the most part, followed by Genji and Winston. Perhaps it’s the language barrier – Zenyatta’s the only one that can truly understand the beeps and whirs that come from the unit, though Genji has a rough pidgin that they can communicate with in a pinch – or perhaps it’s the fact that they are the only omnics on base. Genji takes no offense; Zenyatta and he have spent far too long on getting him to accept that he walk’s the no-man’s-land of the two species to let something like this upset him. There’s a bond there that he can only scratch the surface of, having spent his first decades of life as a human, then being a cyborg. It took him awhile to accept that he wasn’t an omnic and never will be, despite how much of him feels mechanical in its function. Regardless of the reason, if someone’s looking for Bastion, chances are they’ll look for Zenyatta first.

Sometimes the three of them scheme together whenever they’re feeling particularly petty. Zenyatta will cling to Genji like a spider monkey as the latter climbs to places the omnic can’t normally reach. Zenyatta then proceeds to help his student carry Bastion to the same place – he may not be able to make Bastion levitate, but several planks of wood carry the weight Genji cannot, and the three will stay there until someone either finds them or they are needed somewhere else. (It’s always particularly amusing, especially when a fellow agent has to ask Athena where they are and she simply replies that ‘They’re on the comms tower, Agent Lindholm,” which leads to a bunch of muttering and cursing that sends all three of them into a laughing fit and Genji goes and fetches the planks they use to slide Bastion and Zenyatta down to where stairs are. Going up is one thing; jumping down is another.)

Bastion, on the good days, is touchy. They will touch everyone they’re friendly with – Zenyatta gets a fist bump, Genji gets a pat on the head, D. Va gets a hug, Lucio a high-five, Reinhardt a chest bump (that usually leaves Bastion in need of self-repairs), Tracer gets a hand on her shoulder, and Mei and Winston can touch the robot without repercussion. Ganyamede flitters and chirps, and one time it landed on Genji’s head during meditation and sent Zenyatta and Bastion into a laughing fit. All Genji was able to pry was a laughter-chopped version of “Sparrow” from Zenyatta, who went back to laughing as the song bird remained perched on Genji’s head. The laughter is contagious, and soon all of them are wheezing – well, as much as mechanical beings can wheeze.

On bad days, it’s impossible to find Bastion. They ask Zenyatta, who just drops one of his lines that gets them going in circles for hours until they eventually comes to realize that this is Zenyatta’s way of saying “leave them alone and leave me out of it” without starting a fight or stirring up animosity.

Then they turn to Genji, and he has no such limitations. “You want to talk to them so badly, go find them yourself,” he snaps with all the vitriol he had a decade ago. He remembers what it’s like to be poked and prodded, both physically and mentally, and knows that when Bastion leaves they’re doing it for the good of the team, and that they’ll always come back. Ganyamede is smarter than anyone gives the bird credit for and will get Zenyatta if Bastion goes truly haywire. Genji worries, but lets it be – Bastion could never hurt Zenyatta, its Awakened programming managing to overwrite the old war protocols and keeping Zenyatta safe as he helps the other omnic calm down.

The team flinches back, usually. The old guard remembers Genji’s rage, how he only held back because they were allies at that point in time, and how his note said he was leaving them and if they were smart and didn’t want to be sent back in a body bag to not follow him. Not that they could, anyway; Genji was near impossible to find unless he wanted to be found. The new guard flinches back out of surprise – they’ve heard of his rage, but have a hard time believing it. Genji is more passive aggressive now if he’s annoyed, but other than that he’s very laid back though a little more down to earth than Zenyatta. Some people are particularly stubborn – Zarya, for one, is on the receiving end of a few nonchalant words that remind her that Genji is dangerous, is an assassin raised in a family of assassins, children given blades instead of dolls, and Bastion is someone who has earned his loyalty and trust and she very much is not, so if he has to pick between the two she better learn very quickly that it’s not going to be her as his first choice. Zarya is angry at the words, but cannot fault them, and so she leaves. (When Genji tells Zenyatta about this incident, Zenyatta only tells him that things between them all will only be more awkward, but it was something that needed said. Genji will nod, and the two will meditate some more.)

Once, though, D. Va, Lucio, and Tracer only look sad.

“We wanted to give them a present,” Tracer informed Genji, and the three showed bits and pieces of soft and textured cloth and suet and a little bird feeder they had accumulated for Bastion to give to Ganyamede. Genji still doesn’t go out and find the automaton, but he does promise to inform them immediately after the omnic returns, because they always do.

(Genji knows that, currently, they are next to the sparse forest area near the ocean from the memories they have shared with Zenyatta and Genji. It’s peaceful there; with no people and no city in sight, just Bastion, Ganyamede, and other forest critters. It reduces the strain on the Awakened programing from constantly overwriting the war programming, Zenyatta surmises, and Genji can’t quite understand but knows that Bastion draws comfort in both of them being there for them. Bastion will return in the hour before dawn, when everyone’s sleeping or too tired to pay much attention except for those who await their return. The gifts, Genji thinks, will do a lot for their normally despairing state they’re always in when they come back.)

He’s right, of course. Bastion cheers and immediately sets up the little feeder on their shoulder, the young members of the group excitedly crowding around and helping them. Normally, this would cause the omnic to be on high alert, but the three’s excitement was contagious and Bastion seemed comfortable enough.

Genji and Zenyatta watched from nearby. The pre – dawn light suffused the scene, adding a strange sort of timeless magic that made Genji tap the side of his visor, taking a picture with the hardly-used function. Zenyatta hummed in amusement and understanding, recognizing the action.

“It seemed in need of preservation,” Genji murmurs, not so much a defensive action as one of admission.

“It is,” Zenyatta replies in a way that makes Genji wonder if he, too, took a picture of the scene. He decides it doesn’t really matter and resolves to print it and get a frame to give it to Bastion. The omnic had a room that was more Spartan than Genji’s (which is saying something, seeing as he carries very little with him now), and most of the decorations are for Ganyamede anyway. It would be nice to give the omnic something for themselves – and it seems that they are perhaps a bit partial to presents.

Genji smiles. It will be a good day for Bastion, it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually wanted to use a different translation, but Google was being a jerk. Japanese/Latin Characters for "link".  
> Fun fact: I… might’ve… forgotten about Bastion a little bit. Just a bit. Which is why I spent 1500 words on a short about Bastion and the Robos™.  
> Fun fact 2: I know the general fandom consensus is he/him pronouns for Bastion, along with some she/her and it in some others, but I like the idea of non-binary Bastion. True self is without form, and Bastion just seems to be the kind of character to not really give a shit.  
> Fact 3: Don’t purposely misgender people. It’s a shitty thing to do. I don’t care if you’re mad at them, or don’t understand, or whatever; it’s shitty and degrading and honestly just the worst possible thing you could do to a person and probably the fastest way to make me hate you – and yes, I do actually mean hate. Seriously. Don’t be an asshole. If you do it on accident, apologize and try to do better.  
> Fun fact 4: I like the idea that D.Va and Reinhardt are friendly towards Bastion and Zenyatta. D.Va because she reminds me of this generation – a lot of information and acceptance and change floating around, and I’d like to believe that she recognizes that omnics are not all one in the same, just as people aren’t. Same with Reinhardt – he’s willing to give everyone a chance. (Also, he never says anything against omnics as a whole, even on Eichenwalde. He just says that “too much blood was spilled in my country during the war”.)  
> Fun fact 5: Genji can, to some extent, understand Bastion without their pidgin. But it’s kind of like listening to a native Spanish speaker after you took two years of the language in high school – you might get the gist but you’ll miss a hell of a lot.  
> Fun fact 6: Genji and Zenyatta adopted Bastion near immediately and are like proud parents of a grown child – they recognize that Bastion is an independent soul, but you can fight me on my mother hen Zenyatta headcanon and worrywart Genji. My precious robos.
> 
> In case you missed it last chapter:  
> Battle Tag: MissZI#1236  
> You’ll find me in Hard AI most often, along with All Brawls in Arcade. Generally I’m with other people. If you do meet me and send me a friend request, please indicate that this is where you know me from so I accept your friend request. It’s a little weird to get one right at the start of a match.


	12. Samjhanāharu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was once his home.  
> Now there's nothing here but tears and memories.

Genji does eventually return to the Shimada Castle after meeting with his brother. He’s not entirely sure why he feels it necessary to come, but Zenyatta offers to come with him and so they go.

They arrive with no fanfare, taking a servant entrance that Genji knew was long forgotten since he was the only one that used it before… before. Only a few personnel stood guard at the main entrances with a few patrolling inside; he knows they’re here just to prevent legend seeking teenagers from disturbing the grounds. They never see or suspect that Genji and Zenyatta are there at all as Genji stealthily leads his master down paths they both can go with stairwells and hallways. It’s relatively slow going as these routes were meant to deter assassins or give the Shimadas enough time to prepare for them, should they hear them coming, and it doesn’t help that Genji keeps pausing at rooms and looking in, half expecting to see the room like it was when he was all flesh and bone and the room would be illuminated in candle or moon light with someone either pattering about or sleeping. It’s weird to see the rooms looking like a museum; they’re obviously well cared for but too perfect to be lived in, a space that makes a poor mockery of the lives that had been led within these halls (they weren’t all bad). He tells Zenyatta the stories he knows of each person, and if he has no stories he’s proud to say that he can at least recall the name of the person who had lived there, from bus boy to his parents (the room abandoned long before he was killed and before Hanzo became head of the Shimada Clan, the memories too painful for their father after their mother’s passing). The last room they came across was his own, and Genji was struck with memories even as the door remained closed. He remembers nights with Hanzo, back when they were children, of staying up far too late and eating for too many stolen sweets and just talking until they fell asleep. He remembers his mother coming in and caring for him while he was sick; he remembers his father presenting rubber replicas of a wakizashi and shuriken to him when he came of age in his doorway. He remembers talking with many servants, inviting them to play games with him on his consoles if it looked like they were run ragged, trying to give them a bit of a breather. He remembers being told of his mother’s passing in the middle of the night, frantically awoken by one of the servants he had befriended who knew that he would like to know. He remembers being told of his father’s passing as he walked out, freezing as the servant bowed respectfully before leaving. He remembers many things, and the emotions hit him full force as he relived the memories in his mind. The nostalgia threatens to drown him, to overwhelm him, but he feels Zenyatta latch onto his arm and gently tug him. He turns to look at his teacher, the tide receding as he focuses on the omnic. Zenyatta says nothing, only tilting his head to the side minutely, but managing to convey his concern and reassurance with just that motion. Genji shakes off the memories that cling like spider webs, but they are able to leave.

“Do you not want to enter?” Zenyatta asks, volume as low as he can make it go and still have Genji able to hear him.

Genji shakes his head and continues leading Zenyatta to the shrine.

“I would like to remember the place as it was… I have many memories there, and while not all of them are happy, they are still mine and a part of my life. I would like to keep them as they are, instead of letting it be infected. That part of my life is over, and I would like to leave it as it was.”

Zenyatta nods. Genji had accepted his past and wasn’t letting it rule him, so there was nothing wrong with wanting to preserve his memories of it.

They eventually made it to the shrine. They forewent the bell house – far too open for stealth missions, even if there was little at stake – and entered the area where Hanzo’s old swords were kept.

Genji paused, noting the still torn paper of the lanterns and the arrows and shuriken still lodged from when the two had reunited. The scroll was still torn and stained with blood – his blood. _Yokai_ , he figured, were the explanation, and while it was entirely likely no one truly believed in the legends, they also weren’t willing to test the age old ideas and let the place be.

“I take it the reunion was not entirely peaceful between you two?” It was a rhetorical question; Zenyatta knew exactly what had happened between Genji and Hanzo. There was little else to say, and something needed to be said lest the ocean came crashing back on Genji.

Genji laughs because – well, he’s not entirely sure what else to do. Being here starts to feel like a mistake. There are many ghosts that wander around here, and while some of them are friendly, others are stained cherry blossom pink and crimson blood red, and Genji can stand it no more. Zenyatta sense the incoming break down and leads him to an alcove off to the side where they won’t be easily found should someone come to look.

He holds Genji gently as the cyborg cries. He mourns those who have passed, the memories lost and tainted by gruesome images, he mourns what might’ve been. Then, an indefinite amount of time later, he accepts it. He cannot change it now, and he is glad to have his memories, if only to say who he was and who he is now. He knows why he had come here, now – he needed to see that it had changed, for to know that it had was different than having proof. He is glad, even if the trip was painful.

“Thank you, Master,” he says once he’s calmed down. He feels the Orb of Harmony latch onto him, and although it can only heal physical wounds, Genji appreciates the gesture.

“Of course, Genji.” Zenyatta pauses for a moment. “We should leave.”

Genji agrees, and takes Zenyatta back the way they had come faster than they had gone in the opposite direction. He did not pause at the doors, the stories already told and the dust settled into the rooms once more.

Genji and Zenyatta emerge into an abandoned alley outside of the Hanamura Arcade.

“Perhaps,” Zenyatta starts as Genji pauses to take in the sight of the Rikimaru’s UFO, “you could show me around.”

Genji smiles. This is something he wouldn’t mind sharing – the simple joys of entertainment and food.

“Follow me,” he says, and off they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: I’m not entirely sure how much I like this chapter, but here it is anyway!  
> Fun Fact 2: I’m terrible at writing any sort of angst, I feel. I think the characters I enjoy most have had enough for a lifetime, so I try to write happier things because they need those in their life (my true OTPs are character/happiness). So that might explain why I’m eh about this.  
> Fun Fact 3: This chapter’s summary is from Man of the Internet’s “Undertale: The Musical”, and specifically the song “Undertale” from that. I found it appropriate, and this chapter is written around that concept.  
> Fun Fact 4: I’m projective as hell and fully acknowledge this – I mentioned this before with Zenyatta’s sleeping issues. This is based on my experience with living in a college dorm – both my childhood house and the place I inhabited for the past nine months are… not really home to me anymore. I exist there, sure, but it’s not really like how I think a home should be.  
> Fun Fact 5: That being said, it’s also a reason for Genji to have found a home in Nepal. Not saying that you can’t have more than one, but it’s always nice to have a place you can go to should all else fall through.  
> Fun Fact 6: Yep, this takes place in the Hanamura map. I imagine there’s a secret passage to the Defense team’s spawn room and that’s how they get in – both the Defense team and Genji and Zen. If you want to trace their path, the robos start from the spawn room and enter the shrine area (they would’ve gone to the bell house and then paid more attention to this area if it was a possibility). Genji breaks down slightly to the side of the point – you know the little room just off there with the 70 HP pack? Yeah, there. Zenyatta takes him down those stairs into that alternate path. They then exit through the secret passage (that leads to the rest of the castle) before leaving the castle itself. It’s a little convoluted and probably wrong but (shrug).  
> Nepali for "memories" is the name of this chapter. Well, according to Google Translate. I've got a better website somewhere, but uh... emphasis on the "somewhere".


	13. Nexus (Heroes of the Storm)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is something wrong in the Hanamura Estate.

Genji views the email’s content again. And again. He does it once more, just to be sure he has read it correctly.

A demon – not an oni, a Western _demon_ – is rampaging through Hanamura. The pictures attached make him doubtful – photo manipulation has only ever improved since its advent – but the video is solid. The camera was slightly shaky, but that was expected as a huge, fiery demon came on screen.

The person who had sent it was one of Zenyatta’s students who lived in the area. She and Genji had bonded over the arcade, as the topic had somehow come up and both of them were excited to meet a fellow enthusiast. They ended up exchanging contact details, but had hardly ever used them since Genji’s wifi was often… lacking, shall we say.

_Please help,_ the message read in Japanese, _it’s tearing through the city._ _Please, help us._ Nothing else. Genji assumes there wasn’t time, and hopes that she managed to leave before a terrible fate befell her.

But… something wasn’t quite right. It had been a long time since Genji had been in Hanamura for any length of time, excluding missions, but he doubts that the streets had changed so much since then. He wonders, then, if Hanamura had been pulled into the place that Lucio, Tracer, and Zarya had been pulled to – a realm they called “Nexus”. None of them could really explain how it worked or what happened to make all these strange people meet, but they knew it existed and sometimes they were pulled into the fights that rampaged. They had made a few allies there, as well as meeting some foes. He figured if anyone would know about the beast that was tearing apart Hanamura, it would be one of those three. Only Zarya and Lucio were on base, however; Lena’s piloting skills were needed for a mission. Seeing as Zarya wasn’t likely to talk to him, he went to find Lucio. The DJ was in one of the common rooms on base – the only one currently usable.

He showed Lucio the video and saw his face go ashen. “Diablo,” he explained, “a few people talk about him, sometimes – Tyrael, Auriel, Sonya, Li-Ming, and a couple others. He’s the number one bad of where they’re from.” Lucio looks up at him. “Hanamura was taken to the Nexus, wasn’t it?” It seemed almost rhetorical, but Genji answered anyway.

“It appears to be so.”

Lucio clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Good luck, dude.” He then left, leaving Genji alone in the common area.

Genji knew what had to be done. While he had little fondness for the Shimada estate, it’s also the place he knows best and so had the best chance of defending – and also reducing any further casualties due to the castle’s non-existent population. He knew he would need help defeating the demon, though, and so he went to find Zenyatta.

“Something troubles you, Genji,” Zenyatta said as the cyborg entered one of the garden rooms they kept on base. The omnic was watering the plants, but gently set the can aside so as to focus completely on Genji.

“One of your students has gotten into contact with me… Master, do you remember Lucio, Lena, and Zarya talking about the Nexus?”

“Indeed. Has something happened?”

“From the video they sent, it seems that Hanamura has been taken into the Nexus. A demon rampages through it; I don’t know what became of your student.”

“Ah.” Zenyatta’s orbs rotated around once at a quicker pace as he looked down, showing his worry in his own way. “And you have come to ask me to accompany you.”

Genji nodded. “I have. I understand it is much to ask of you, to ask you to accompany me with the Recall and now this, so do not fear if your answer is no.”

“I’m afraid it shall have to be, little sparrow.”                                                               

Genji was expecting the answer. While a little saddening, he also understood. Zenyatta seemed to notice the downfall in his mood and continued.

“Do not think it is too much to ask of me, Genji, for it is not. However, now is not a good time for me to leave and go to another dimension. Mondatta -” and here, his voice caught like a record scratch, as it had done since the day the other was assassinated, “- his passing still rests heavily over the world, and heavier still over the Shambali. While I may not be officially part of their ranks anymore, they are still my siblings and I must be there for them. Furthermore, if you, Lucio, Lena, and Zarya are all on call for the Nexus, I fear what may happen if our forces are spread too thin. I do not doubt Ms. Amari’s and Angela’s capabilities, but we are spread thin without the Nexus calling those within our ranks, and losing another support class wouldn’t help Overwatch now. But that is not to say you shouldn’t seek out someone else to help you.” Zenyatta took Genji’s hands in his own, trying to drive his point across. “Remember, my student, you have more allies now more than ever. And more than that, you have more friends than just me. Ask them, and their answers may surprise you. Go in peace, Genji, and know you do not have to fight alone.”

Genji used their entwined hands to pull Zenyatta into a hug; a gesture that was happily returned. “Thank you, Master. May any missions you are assigned go well while I am away.”

The two separated, and Genji bowed to Zenyatta respectfully. Zenyatta bowed back, and Genji went on his way to secure another ally.

That demon was big, after all, and he would appreciate having someone a little larger by his side. Zarya would’ve been an option if she wasn’t so prejudiced, but... hm. There was an idea.

Genji went in search of the door that had a little pink rabbit on it. D.Va would certainly be a good choice to aid in this fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: I’ve started playing Heroes of the Storm as of yesterday. I already have the Oni Genji skin. I just really want the Officer D.Va skin (and to be good as Genji somewhere).  
> Fun Fact 2: Blizzard convinced me with effective marketing (two of my friends and my dad can attest to my geeking over the animation and the narrative with the Showdown in Hanamura short).  
> Fun Fact 3: I honestly love the idea that Genji would ask D.Va for help – I feel like it’s character growth that he knows he needs help, and I love the idea that he and D.Va are friends (I’ll write a short about Game Night sometime) – but I also couldn’t help but wonder if Genji would ask Zenyatta first. And so, this.  
> Fun Fact 4: I have no idea how to explain the Nexus. At all. None what so ever. So no one else in the story does either. The Nexus just works as far as they know, and it drives them a little crazy at times. (Genji just sort of rolls with it – he’s a cyborg ninja who was saved by a robot monk who has a soul and now works for an illegal hero organization against a terrorist organization who has an unfeeling sniper and a murderous ghost as their main agents. Another dimension isn’t that big of a deal.)  
> Fun Fact 5: Oni and demon, to me, are not compatible. I mentioned another story I’m working on separate from this, and since it involves Oni Genji, I did some research. Translation wise, the closest thing English has to oni is demon, but it’s not entirely correct. So that’s why Diablo’s only mentioned as a demon and not an oni.  
> Fun Fact 6: Since Genji says something among the lines of “Stay away from Hanamura” in Heroes of the Storm, I figured it be more accurate to say he’s defending the city and the people in it, not so much the Castle. The only reason he goes to the castle is because, as mentioned, the terrain changed as Hanamura was put into the Nexus, and so Genji felt he had a better chance in the Castle since he knew it so well he’d be able to figure out what had changed fairly quickly.  
>  (Fun Fact 7: I literally just got Genji. I still suck as Genji.)


	14. Kinenbi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hell of year.

It’s been a hell of a year.

Genji almost couldn’t believe how much had happened in the past year. Old friends and new ones have shown up, Overwatch was being reestablished (well, unofficially, but still), and he was part of it.

The world is changing, has changed, and sometimes Genji gets dizzy with everything going on. He’s trying to process it but it’s just too much, sometimes.

He’ll stumble into his and Zenyatta’s shared room during these episodes of processing. The room itself is small and familiar, the comforting squish of the pillows scattered everywhere and the smiling faces of various Pachimari plushies helps Genji root himself back into the present.

Sometimes Zenyatta is there. He knows these episodes well by now – Genji has had many of them during their stay at the Shambali temple – and so he knows that Genji will be able to make a portion of the journey back by himself. He just has to wait to see if Genji needs help to go the rest of the way.

It’s never easy. The two might be able to read each other like open books but sometimes they skip a line or two. As Zenyatta will point out, no one is perfect, and even the best relationships will have disagreements and fights and miscommunications. The two are no different, but they have worked through things before.

Not many understand why Genji will excuse himself (read: sneak away) suddenly. A few, of course – McCree, Hanzo, Zenyatta among them – get it, as they know the cyborg or at least can relate to the feelings of realization. Then again, there are a lot of things that Genji does that not many understand. But that’s a story that’s already been said, and stories that are yet to be told.

As Genji finishes reflecting on everything that’s happened, he can only come to one conclusion:

_It’s been a hell of a year. Let us hope for a good outcome in the upcoming ones._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Anniversary, Overwatch fans! Title is Japanese for "anniversary".  
> No fun facts here, really - the chapter was written entirely for the Overwatch anniversary and most of the headcanons in here have already been discussed.   
> On a side note, Sentai Genji is a Power Ranger. I can't take him seriously in that skin at all and I love it. (I am so tempted to write an AU for that because of all this lovely artwork I'm seeing. But I really should finish the Oni Genji and Sanzang thing I've been working on/off on first...)  
> And those dance emotes????????????? I caved. I bought Zen, Genji, and D.va and got Mei's in a lootbox. I am. So pumped.


	15. Bham̐gērā

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People see what they are prepared to. People are prepared to see what they want, and never much else.

It was Genji’s mom who had first given him the nickname “Sparrow”. Genji was fairly young at that point – perhaps three or four, but time has skewed his memories on that so for all he knows he was nine – playing in the courtyard of the estate, chasing butterflies as she kept an eye on him from where she sat.

“Ah, little sparrow, you’ll catch them yet,” she smiled as Genji came over in a huff, his adventure with the flighty insects lacking a capturing of them. He looked up and smiled in return.

Genji doesn’t quite remember the rest of that time. He was young and there were more things to remember since, but the heart of the memory - that he retained. The heart, and the nickname.

He’s not sure who called him that next, specifically, but he remembers clinging to it fiercely. It became his codename, his password, like how Hanzo’s had been _Okami_ (and later, he found out, _Lone Wolf_ ). In the clan’s business, he was Sparrow. He’s knows it’s meant as an insult, but they cannot take the fact that it was one of the scant memories he had of his mother still intact, and so he keeps it.

Later, after their father’s death, after the fight with Hanzo, after the scrolls are stained with blood and torn by the blades that now sit beneath them, abandoned by their owner, he stops using it. Why does he need a codename anymore? Shimada Genji is dead; the Sparrow of the Shimada clan eaten by the Wolf. It remained his password, however – he couldn’t be bothered to figure out another, and he’s been using it for so many years it becomes muscle memory. (Which, thinking about it, probably explains why Sombra was able to find out about his life in the clan.) No one calls him that, anyway – only those in the clan knew he was Sparrow, and very, very few Overwatch agents other than Genji were ever able to dispose of those so closely connected, and of those only one or two spoke fluent Japanese. He was simply addressed as “Genji” in his stint with Overwatch – anyone who attempted to call him “Agent Shimada” would very quickly figure out that was a mistake.

After he left and began to wander the world, the only person who knew he ever was Sparrow was Ramen. And Ramen hardly used vocalized (can he call it vocalized if only he can hear it in his head?) language, choosing to stick with pantomiming and empathic communications.

When he walked the halls of the Shambali monastery, no one there knew he was Sparrow either. During his stretch of silence when he first arrived, he would spend much of his time outside, staring at the sky, the walls, the monks around him, but most often, the birds. There were scant few birds that appeared this high in the mountains, but sometimes a flock of sparrows would get blown in. He would stare and watch and remember, feeling the memories as if they were a dream or a movie, an outsider looking in instead of a participant. Shimada Genji is dead, he thinks, the Sparrow of the Shimada Clan gone. When the birds are gone, he walks away, performing tasks on autopilot with a body that’s not quite his.

When this happens, Zenyatta’s not sure how to help. Most of the practices he knew involved the other party speaking – something that Genji hasn’t done since he thanked and introduced himself to Mondatta and Zenyatta after he awoke. The omnic’s also not sure if the green dragon being would help, or even how where it is, so he’s still at a loss. Nonetheless, Zenyatta tries, engaging Genji in gentle conversations that deal with nothing at all – “Do you like the color red? No? Oh, what about green?” – and to his joy, they seem to work. Genji becomes a little less reclusive, and even begins talking to him after that one morning. Zenyatta’s glad it worked, a shot in the dark hitting its mark.

The conversations become a little less one-sided after that, and eventually Genji even comes to share his past with Zenyatta in order to heal. He tells him of the clan, his disagreements, his anger and feelings of betrayal, and he talks about the good times, too. His brother, when they were younger, his father, back before his mother had passed, and his mother – well, what he remembered of her.

“She was the one who gave me the name Sparrow. The clan tried to corrupt it, but it’s one of the few memories I have left of my mother, and they couldn’t take that away. No one but the clan knew that was my codename, of sorts, so it died with them,” he finishes.

Zenyatta remains silent for a moment, processing the information Genji has given him. “But now I know,” Zenyatta points out. Genji starts – it seems like he didn’t think of it. “Would you mind if I called you that, Genji?”

“Wha- I – No, Master. I wouldn’t mind,” Genji chokes out. The name still means a great deal to him – a memory of his mother long forgotten being revived once again.

Zenyatta comes closer to Genji and takes one of the cyborg’s hands in his own. “Then let us go on, little sparrow. There is much yet to learn.”

Genji laughs, choked but in good humor. “I’m taller than you, Master. Can you really get away with calling me little?”

Zenyatta only replies: “We shall see, won’t we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: Though Blizzard has (as of now) released canon information that Genji got the nickname “Sparrow” from his father, I’m throwing that to the wind. Screw that notion; let Genji have something good in his life that doesn’t get too terribly spoiled!  
> Fun Fact 2: This short was written before the massive lore updates with the Uprising Patch. So uh. Inconsistencies are probably rampant from that.  
> Fun Fact 3: Pretty sure I mentioned Genji being dissociative in another one of these fun fact bits. Well, here’s a good look into that.  
> Fun Fact 4: Wolves used to be considered protectors/ the forms of gods in Japan under Shinto influence. This changed after Japan took up cattle farming after Europeans introduced them to it. Since the wolves killed the cattle, the people killed the wolves, driving them all but extinct. The term “okami” means “wolf”, but is also closely related to the terms for “ruler” and “god” (kami). Hence the video games Okami and Okamiden, which focus on Shinto figures and Japanese folklore and have the main playable protagonist a wolf in both games. I like the idea that Hanzo’s codename gradually shifted after the “murder” of his brother – he went from a protector to easy pickings.  
> Fun Fact 5: I actually think sparrows are really pretty. I’ll probably do something with that later and put it on here.


	16. Issho Ni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And remember-  
> Zenyatta is here.  
> Genji is with you.

There are times when Genji enters the common room on base and immediately thinks _this was a mistake._ Movie nights are the most common trigger – it’s boisterous and lively and crowded and Genji is reminded of the clubs he used to frequent back in Hanamura with bright strobe lights and pounding baselines. It’s too much, sometimes. There’s an uncomfortable feeling in the back of his throat, his left hand begins to shake, and he feels the need to tap his feet in the feeble hope it will get rid of the feeling.

Zenyatta catches on quickly – the two have spent so long in the other’s presence so constantly that they are attuned to the other. He’ll float – or walk, depends on what’s he’s feeling that day – over to the door where Genji usually enters; it’s the one in the back that doesn’t creak, leaving his entrance unnoticed unless someone’s watching.

(Or if it’s Zenyatta.)

Sometimes Zenyatta will just stay near him, providing company and an anchor. It doesn’t make everything fall away, but it makes the journey into the room possible. Other times, Zenyatta will take his hand before leading him to the seating arrangement in the back – close enough to join in the action, far enough away that they can opt out.

Sometimes Zenyatta would guide him back out, leaving the rambunctious group to their dealings. The two would go back to their shared room, far enough away that any sound that might escape the common room wouldn’t make it inside. The familiar and comforting atmosphere of the various Pachimaris, pillows, and the new plants that had begun to spill over out of the gardens and into their room would bring Genji a little bit of peace. The two would comfortably arrange themselves among the pillows and plushes and would just… enjoy the other’s company. They would either shoot the breeze or say nothing, or they would do activities completely separate from one another but still stay close. It was immensely helpful, to escape back into quiet when everything got to be too much. Genji was grateful he had Zenyatta to help him through those episodes.

Zenyatta’s ticks are subtler. He has no biotic parts, nothing expressed via flesh, so very few things go unmonitored. Zenyatta’s hands and voice are eternally steady, and there are no eyes that shift or facial expressions to give anything away. But they have spent too long together for Genji to not know the signs. The rhythm of his speech speeds up, the minor inflections he can do change far more dramatically than normal, and most of all his orbs are what give him away. Their rotation stutters, and the orbs spin just the slightest bit faster. It’s almost imperceptible.

Almost.

Genji’s never sure what to do when that happens, especially because it happens so rarely. He usually tries to get Zenyatta away from the situation with some various excuse – maintenance on areas on his body he couldn’t quite see or reach was a recurring theme, since only Angela and Zenyatta really knew the extent of maintenance he really needed – or he would butt in on the conversation and switch topics. It doesn’t always work – many people are cruel for the sake of being cruel, and you cannot reason a person out of a position they did not reason themselves into – but Genji knows Zenyatta appreciates the effort because of his little ticks. The monk smiles, in his own way, and his orbs resume their calm orbit around his neck.

It’s not easy, existing in this world as they do. But they don’t have to stand alone, and that’s what matters most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: This whole thing was inspired by the motivational Overwatch post on tumblr. If you look up “motivational overwatch” or “overfeels” on YouTube you’ll probably find it.  
> … What? That’s it. I’ve got nothing more here to say on this.


	17. Chingu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It starts like this: a streamer, a cyborg, and a midnight encounter.

D.Va streams.

Absolutely no one is surprised by this – many have heard of D.Va before, and were excited to meet her in person. Genji was one of them, but seeing a small crowd around her when she first came to the Watchpoint dissuaded him from greeting her immediately; he’d greet her when it was quieter (or when he felt more up to dealing with people himself).

The opportunity came the same day – well, sort of. It was pretty close to 1:30 am, and Genji didn’t need nearly as much sleep as more fleshy beings did. Zenyatta was awake as well, happily knitting away the hours until everyone else woke up. Genji was going to get tea from the kitchen – a cup sounded nice right now – but he paused when he noticed the lights were on. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary for someone to be getting a midnight snack (Dr. Zeigler comes to mind) or comfort food because of a bad night, but it came at the most unpredictable times and Genji was never sure whether he wanted to go in and grab whatever he wanted or to grant them their privacy. He heard no sound of crying or deep breaths, so he figured it was safe enough to go in.

He was a little surprised to see D.Va, admittedly. He was more of expecting Angela or McCree, both of whom were prone to snacking at strange hours. He watched as D.Va gathered a few bags of chips along with a pack of soda. D.Va turned around, presumably to leave, and startled when she noticed him, dropping the soda in the process. Genji dashed forward and caught it before it could hit the ground, offering it back to her as he stood up.

“Apologies for sneaking up on you,” he started, seeing her slight deer-in-headlights look. She quickly shook it off.

“No problem! How’d you do that?”

“Years of practice,” Genji laughed. He wasn’t lying, but he’d often been asked that.

D.Va pouted. “Aww, I was hoping there was some trick to it. Hey, we haven’t met yet! I’m D.Va, call me Hana unless we’re in the field!”

Genji bowed informally. “I am Genji. Isn’t it a bit late for caffeine?”

“Pffft, nah! I’ve got a stream coming up soon; I slept on the plane!”

“… A stream at two am?”

“Ten, actually.”

Ah, that’s right; D.Va streamed at 10 am in Korea. Due to the time difference, she would have to start earlier, unless she wanted to narrow down the places where an Overwatch base would be. Smart.

“I will let you go, then,” Genji smiled before rummaging around for his loose leaf blends - objects in the kitchen often got shuffled around due to the in-and-out nature of the agents most days – ignoring the fact that Hana was staring at him. He chalked it up to her assuming he was an omnic, and seeing as he had no discernable mouth-like feature, she was probably wondering what he was doing. She appeared to let it go, however, leaving to go to wherever she was streaming from.

It wasn’t the last time they met in the kitchen at odd hours. It happened at least three more times – all of the conversations being similar, though Hana did not startle after that first time – before Hana finally said “Hey, you wanna join?”

Genji blinked, knowing his visor flickered along with in surprise. Then, he thought, _why not?_

“It would be an honor; thank you.” He did a short, quick little bow.

Hana waved off his formalities. “Chat enjoys guests, especially of the surprise variety. We’re playing Smash.”

“Oh?”

“Chat wanted to see how I’d do in a game that doesn’t require strategy.”

Genji knew what she meant: the series, from its origins back over a century ago, was known for being either super precise or a hell of a button masher. While you could learn an abundance of the game very quickly, most of the precise, competitive level moves were learned through experience. D.Va, he knew, knew enough about Smash to know it existed, but hadn’t played it much for herself. It was a game better played with friends, but D.Va rarely had guests, and when she did they usually played a game of the guest’s choosing and none (so far) had picked Smash Bros. He’s also usually the only one awake and accessible at this hour, and they’re friendly enough with each other that they get along well when they cross paths.

Hana looks like she’s about to say something, but instead she turns and beckons him to follow. Genji does so and pauses slightly at the threshold of the door to her quarters before following her through it.

The setup is cleaner than he expected. There are an astonishing amount of wires and cords, but they are all bound together with zip ties and tracked neatly along the walls or behind the sparse furniture or under bright pink protective mats.

She has a shelf of her own merchandise within clear view of her camera, but he can see a few generic shirts and some of Lucio’s merchandise interspersed in the more personal areas, such as her bed. A worn stuffed rabbit sits in a place of honor beside her pillow. He wonders if that’s where her logo came from.

D.Va leads him to the setup. “We’re going old school – I managed to get Smash 4 from a fan. Do you know the controllers for that?”

Genji nodded; he had gotten into game collecting for a time since the clan had the money for it, but he figured that most of his personal belongings had been destroyed, sold, stolen, or hoarded by Hanzo, who he still wasn’t certain was joining after his invitation. He remembered that scarf that Hanzo wore, however – it was a gift to Genji from his mother shortly before she passed. (“For when your hair gets long enough” she had said. His hair had never gotten long enough; cut shortly after her death, then his fathers, and then all but burned off after his duel with Hanzo. He had artificial hair for a long while, courtesy of Mercy respecting his wishes, but it had started to grow back now so she had removed it. It was no more than some peach fuzz, currently, but Genji was happy to have hair again.) Genji caught his mind wandering and focused on Hana again.

“Which do you want? I’ve got adapters for the Game Cube controllers, too.” She gestured towards a bin that was filled with controllers. Genji indicated a 3DS – one of the older models, sure, but it suited his needs just fine. D.Va picked up the game pad and made her way over to the set up. From there, she started preparing the stream before starting her loading screen: her rabbit icon with a blue loading bar underneath scrolling through some quick Korean text – Genji was able to recognize several in-jokes from the stream but everything else went too fast for him to translate.

Finally, the loading bar filled up, and bright neon text reading “Nerf this!” was blown up on screen, and then D.Va’s stream set-up loaded. Already there were a couple thousand people in chat.

_“Hey everybody! As you can see by the guy sitting next to me and the title, we have a guest on this stream! Let’s give him a warm welcome!”_ D.Va said in Korean.

Emotes, greetings, and other things appeared in chat. Genji placed his hand in front of him and nodded his head. “Yo,” he greeted.

D.Va continued to go through her intro, saying he was a friend she had met as she was travelling (which was true) and that they were going to play Smash.

_“We’ll take the first few rounds to goof off and warm up, but then it’s time to get serious!”_ She made a playfully serious face at the camera – almost the same one she used to mock Morrison when he got too uppity.

They started the first few rounds off easy, both of them half paying attention to the game and half watching chat. D.Va was surprised to see that he knew a bit of Korean, enough to read some questions on his own and answer them, though he did ask her to translate a few of them.

“They’re asking if you’re an omnic a lot,” D.Va commented. He knew she was being kinder than the chat – he’d seen a few mod-removed comments and time-out notifications on D.Va’s third monitor. He saw her side eye and knew she was curious as well.

He shook his head. “Cyborg.”

He saw D.Va twitch, slightly, out of surprise. She took it pretty well, considering…

Well. A lot of things.

Questions popped up in chat, but he shook his head. He wasn’t going to answer them. The fact that he told them was actually pretty surprising, but he thinks it has something to do with how they’re only text with screen names attached.

After that, it was back to finishing the match. Genji hadn’t played Smash in years, but muscle memory kicked in soon enough and he was starting to get the hang of it again. This was the last match before they went all in, but they kept it light-hearted and the chat was filled with “kek”s, “lol”s, and “www”s, especially when Genji lost because of a random stage hazard catching him mid-motion.

“I don’t think I can even be upset because of that,” he said. D.Va laughed.

“Alright, for real this time!”

Both of them switched off the goofy characters they had picked for the first few rounds and selected their mains.

“You can’t be serious. This is a joke,” D.Va declared as soon as he had picked his.

“I assure you it is not.”

“What the hell?! You main _Jigglypuff?_ ”

Genji shrugged. “Yes.”

“I regret my entire life. What led me to playing with a Jiggly main?” D.Va muttered as she selected her character – Ike.

Of course, there really wasn’t a choice for the stage – Final Destination was. Well. As the name implies.

D.Va was incredulous the whole battle. She kept repeating variations of “what”, including screeching it when Genji managed to land a Rest, thus instantly KO’ing Ike. Genji only shrugged and kept fighting.

Eventually, however, D.Va managed to KO Jigglypuff for the fifth and final time. As it was, Ike was sitting at 150% damage and a singular stock.

“ _I can’t even be proud of this win. I almost lost. To a_ Jigglypuff _,”_ D.Va huffed.

Genji chuckled. “ _Are you not the one who says that the best things in life come in small packages? Jigglypuff has a high skill ceiling, certainly, but I had time to spare to get better with him_.”

D.Va stares. Just, flat out emotionless stare. Genji knows exactly what it’s about.

“ _There are no gender differences between male and female Jigglypuff, and isn’t a little presumptuous to assume gender off of clothing_?”

D.Va tilts her head. “ _Point_ ,” she grumbles.

Chat was going crazy – well, crazier. “GG EZ” and variants were floating about, along with incredulity and smug retorts. Genji had, apparently, earned himself a fan club with his actions. D.Va stares at it for a while before turning to him and smiling.

“ _Well, it seems like you got yourself a fan club, Green Cyborg Ninja Dude. How’d you like to make their day and come back sometime?”_

_“It would be an honor, D.Va.”_

Chat started spamming whatever green emotes they had as they freaked out. It wasn’t that D.Va didn’t invite her guests multiple times – she has had quite a few repeats – but a new challenger was always exciting, especially one as interesting as Genji.

As they said their farewells, D.Va talked to him. “Maybe we could get Zen and Lu in here too; make it a game night and play something.”

“So long as you do not suggest Mario versus games, I think that would be interesting.”

“Oh?”

“Master Zenyatta would destroy all of us. Repeatedly. I have seen him do it before; he is the undefeated Shambali champion of Mario Kart.”

After that, Hana started talking with Genji more. Genji found her easy to talk to, if not a little draining at times because of how long he could talk with her.

She learned a bit about him this way – how he could eat, how he sleeps, what being a cyborg is like and what the Shambali are like.

“I mean, of course I know Mondatta -” Genji’s pretty sure the sudden drop in his mood is quite obvious, but Hana plows on “- but he was kind of like a figure head, you know? Distant, kind of like looking at toys through a window. But meeting Zenyatta -” she cuts herself off, struggling for words. She’s opened up to him in return; losing the public relations face that never seems to go away, even with some of the team.

Genji nods in understanding. Zenyatta is someone who can get you thinking about things you’ve never really thought of before. “I understand.”

It’s one of many little talks they have. Genji initiates very few of them, but despite his reluctance for interaction on some days he knows when it’s necessary. There’s a time when he notices that Hana’s gotten worked up – small, nearly imperceptible.

Nearly. In his time with Zenyatta, Genji has learned to pay more attention to subtleties than the main action someone tries to execute.

With Hana, it starts with a small shift in her smile. It shifts from genuine to convincing retail worker – enough to fool those who aren’t looking too closely or are distracted. Then it’s the gestures. Hana talks with her hands more often than not, but now her motions are subdued. It can be blamed on the fact that she’s sitting in between Reinhart and the wall, but Genji’s seen her smack her hand into both before without batting an eye. The most obvious tell, to him at least, is her inattention. Hana eats surprisingly quickly, but she’ll stick around with the team and converse as she doodles. Usually it’s variants of her rabbit logo, but now it’s just inattentive scribbles.

Genji knows something’s wrong, but he’s not about to question her in front of the whole team. He knows that if he were in her position, he wouldn’t appreciate it. Instead, he is thankful he chose to sit across from her today as he extends his foot to touch her leg in order to gain her attention without garnering others’. She jolts, not expecting it, but no one else notices. He tilts his head towards the door, an obvious asking of “want to leave”? Hana nods and excuses herself. Genji follows, though he says nothing as he quietly escapes the table. It’s his usual method of leaving, so no one will give him any trouble over it. Well, no more than usual anyway.

He finds her on a balcony nearby – far enough away that no one can accidently stumble across her, close enough that he could find her without trying too hard. She was sitting on the ground, legs swinging in the open air between the posts of the fence around the overhang. He sat down nearby, legs folded but silent. Hana would run the show here and would start when she was ready.

She brought out her phone and looked up a holo-picture. Genji could see D.Va in her flight suit standing with five other people in similar dress. All had different logos on them, but all had one in common: MEKA.

“This is my squad,” she murmured, “They’re the ones who encouraged me to join Overwatch, despite… well, everything. We know we can’t beat the Beast of the Sea on our own, that we’ll need more numbers and better guns. Command, though, doesn’t seem to realize it. Or admit it.” She scowls. “My team is made of the best of the best. We have driven off the Beast more times than Russia has beaten back the corrupted forces of their Ominium, but we’re dismissed because we’re ‘too young’, or told to go back to our ‘petty games’, or whatever. I try not to let it bother me, but…”

Genji’s not sure what to say. He’s never been in that position with that mindset – sure, the age thing had come up a few times when he was younger, but the last name of _Shimada_ had dropped those conversations faster than hot rocks – but he can see the struggle she faces.

“You are more than what they say, Hana-chan. Anyone with any sense of vision can see that you know what you’re doing when you’re out on the field. You are young and chose to embrace it, and while taunting the enemy mid-fight is not my idea of a good strategy, with the way McCree acts I do not think it is my place to tell you to stop.”

“I know that!” she bursts, “But it’s -” Again, she cuts herself off. Genji then remembers, with startling clarity, the almost casual dismissal of her experience by Torbjorn. The man had never really been the most personable of beings, but there are still lines you shouldn’t cross.

“Torbjorn-sama is a bitter old soul who is not fond of change. Take his opinions… how is it McCree says? ‘With a grain of salt’?”

Hana smiles. “Something like that, yeah.”

Genji tilts his head, similar to how Zenyatta would for a smile. “Come, then. I do believe there is some Rocky Road left in the freezer – enough for us to share before a game?”

“You’re on,” Hana grins, and they get up and proceed to head to the kitchen.

(And if D.Va lets Genji win a round… well. No one has to know.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: The “small crowd” around D.Va consisted of Lucio, Reinhardt, Winston, and Tracer. The former two are fans and the latter two were to introduce her to Overwatch. Genji wasn’t really in the mood to try to deal with five people, two of whom were new to him.  
> Fun Fact 2: The time difference between Spain and Korea is seven hours. The time difference between Nepal and Korea is 3 hours and fifteen minutes. D.Va starts streaming (usually) around 10 am in Korea. That means in order for Genji to catch D.Va’s livestreams he would be awake at 6:45 am.   
> Fun Fact 3: I just. Need people to acknowledge that while D.Va is young and talks like we do sometimes we have to remember that she’s a soldier that has helped to drive back an enormous robot from destroying her country multiple times. She willingly went to go support her country. Not enough people acknowledge this.   
> Fun Fact 4: “Hana looks like she’s about to say something, but instead…” She was going to tell him to grab whatever snacks/drinks she wanted, but she’s not really aware he’s a cyborg since she never asked, he never explained, and she doesn’t interact with him enough to pick up on the cues.   
> Fun Fact 5: “Kek” is essentially “lol” in Korean, and “www” is the Japanese version. I figured there would be a lot of people from different countries watching D.Va and that while they may type in Korean sometimes localization kicks in and they list their own slang.  
> Fun Fact 6: Genji was originally going to main Kirby; meanwhile, D.Va was going to be Charizard. But then I thought it would be hilarious to have Genji play Jigglypuff, but I’ve seen good Jiggly plays and they are a thing man.  
> Fun Fact 7: My sister is of the opinion that Jigglypuff is a guy in Smash. Seeing as that, unlike Pikachu, there are no gender differences between Jigglypuff I don’t argue the point. So, it’s a little detail of my life that’s mixed up in this story again.  
> Fun Fact 8: Genji isn’t fluent in Korean; I just put complete sentence because I myself am not bilingual in any sense of the imagination. I know a few words in a couple languages but not enough to converse, so I don’t feel like I’d do the speech justice.  
> Fun Fact 9: Yes, the Shambali play video games. Many of the games are what OW would consider “retro” (meaning to us they’re fairly new; so Zenyatta is champion of Mario Kart 8).   
> Fun Fact 10: I believe Genji is very selective in who he interacts with after becoming a cyborg. Hanzo left him wounded and aching in more than just a physical sense – hence, Zenyatta.   
> Fun Fact 11: I needed more Genji and D.Va friendship in my life. My former main and my current main unite!  
> Fun Fact 12: This was supposed to be short. Then again, so was the chapter on Ramen.  
> Fun Fact 13: When Genji says “Torbjorn-sama”, he’s being sarcastic and mildly insulting him. Genji is, for the most part, indifferent towards Torbjorn, but Genji is extremely protective over those who have earned his trust so he definitely won’t be taking his side anytime soon.


	18. 88503

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old foe comes back, bringing old memories.

Everyone was gathered in the common room, having just finished the third movie in their movie marathon, when Athena pauses the festivities by coming over the sound system.

“Apologies, agents. Winston,” the gorilla perked up at his name, “protocol indicates that I should tell you that police radar in Numbani have come through saying that the Doomfist gauntlet has been stolen from the Numbani heritage museum. No reports about any of our suspect Talon agents, but further scanning shows that Prisoner 88503 has escaped from high security an hour prior. Evidence suggest it was him who stole the gauntlet.”

Winston immediately went into commander mode, switching from jovial to serious, asking Athena about further details, damage, casualties suffered. Lena blinks up next to him, her fingers curling in front of her chrono accelerator nervously. Winston reaches up and places a reassuring hand over her back even as the two exit.

Genji feels every eye left in the room turn to him, the new recruits following the gazes of the old guard. The stares range from confused to worried. It’s Hana who speaks first.

“Who is 88503?” she asks softly, as if speaking louder would cause everything to shatter.

“Doomfist,” is his short reply. He stands smoothly, quickly, and leaves, calling over his shoulder “Ask Athena about it when she and Winston are done.”

After he exited the room, he checked to see if anyone was watching. Finding no one, he sprinted to his and Zenyatta’ shared room.

He could feel anxiety and phantom pain creeping over him at the harsh reminder of the mission he, Tracer, and Winston had went on the defeat Doomfist. He remembered being slammed into multiple surfaces and his body shorting out. He remembered Tracer fading away. He remembered watching as Winston and Doomfist fought.

He was so absorbed in trying to stave off the pain and anxiety that he didn’t hear or see the door open, nor did he notice Zenyatta as the omnic came in. He only noticed when Zenyatta spoke softly nearby.

“Is it alright if I touch you?”

Genji nodded and felt as Zenyatta intertwined their hands.

“Angela had some concerns. After seeing you leave, we all did. Would you like to talk about it?”

Genji shook his head. “There is little to say that the recording of the fight will not.”

“The recording will not tell me what you are thinking now,” Zenyatta rebukes gently, “but I will not force you to talk about it. Would you like an Orb of Harmony?”

“Please.” Genji settled as the golden glow chased away the pain.

Genji could still feel Zenyatta’s worry, but the omnic did as he promised and didn’t push Genji to talk about it. Genji wasn’t even sure he could – how could he describe the utter _panic_ he felt as he watched one of his few good friends fade from existence? How could he describe the feeling of pure helplessness as he tried to reach out to her, to give her some feeling of comfort, only to find his body almost completely unresponsive? How could he describe the feeling of awe and fear of watching as Winston and Doomfist duked it out, slowly feeling his limbs responding to him as pins and needles transformed into pain? How does he describe how he took his limited mobility and picked up the pieces of the accelerator in the feeble, desperate hope that Winston would be able to fix it, to bring their friend _back_ to them, to save her from the in-between? – so he didn’t. He took comfort in the fact that Zenyatta was here.

“Winston has further news,” Zenyatta murmurs as Genji comes back to himself, “Apparently someone in Numbani has taken an interest in reinventing the defenses. They have already started.”

“Oh?”

“Efi Oladele. She wants to ‘keep people safe’, in her words, and she has an idea on how to do so, though she has not yet shared that idea.”

“I wish her luck, then. Doomfist is a formidable foe.” Genji stood and bowed slightly to Zenyatta. “Thank you, Master. I think I will visit with Lena and Winston. We could all use some support.”

“Of course. I shall be here if you need something of me. Do not be afraid to use the comms, should any of you need me to come to you.”

Genji nodded and left once more. Zenyatta watched him go.

The omnic was worried, yes, but he could tell that Genji would be okay after he checked in with Lena and Winston. Zenyatta turned from the door and focused his attention inward, soothing his own worry over the situation.

_The forces of Harmony and Discord are gathering_ , he thought, _Let us hope we are prepared whenever we clash._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: This is the third chapter to be written before being typed. It is also two notebook pages long. (I’m also typing this at 3 am. Some things never change.)  
> Fun Fact 2: I… am actually not all that interested in Doomfist as a playable character. That short, however, was amazing and I look forward to seeing how he interacts with everyone. (Also that short was 100% anime and I love it.)  
> Fun Fact 3: I have a backlog for this fic now! I went through and organized all the shorts I had for this fic, and I now have 11 that are in need of me checking through them to see if I want them included and for editing purposes. Still not going to update regularly, though. Sorry. Been writing too long without one to want to change.


	19. Javāna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenyatta is great with children.

Genji’s known this for a long time – he had seen how the village children had swarmed him whenever the two left the monastery for supplies, and more than that he’s seen how the omnic had interacted with his former students’ children – but he is reminded when he sees the omnic interact with Efi.

He is careful with her – perhaps even delicate – when the genius visits the base to see Orisa and work (play?) with all the builders in the team. Efi usually ends up staying for three days at a time, talking with everyone. Zenyatta is not too careful, however; he makes sure she understands what’s going on an explains it as honestly as possible without belittling her or forgetting that she is a child, something that some on base still had issues with.

Often times Zenyatta will go into the workshop Winston had set up especially for Efi and will find her there, working on something far past when she should’ve been asleep (according to her parents, at least). Zenyatta will interrupt her, asking her what she’s working on. He’ll continue asking, even if she goes back to working, Efi giving answers to half- familiar questions that take little to no thought. When she starts yawning, that’s when Zenyatta will ask if she wants to come sit with him and Genji in their room. Efi agrees every time, knowing that Zenyatta will give her a ride as he floats if she agrees. He’ll place her in his lap and float carefully back the way he came, keeping up a gentle conversation as Efi fades into sleep. (She has her own room on base for when she visits – it’s located between her workshop and Orisa’s room, and while she does spend the majority of her nights in there, there’s nothing wrong with a sleep over.)

By the time Genji opens the door for them, Efi is already asleep. The omnic will gently place her on the single bed they have in the room (for Genji, mostly), and Genji will bring over a mound of pillows and a large Pachimari from what Efi had dubbed “the cozy area”. The two will then sit quietly nearby – not close enough to disturb, but close enough for Zenyatta to detect and soothe any nightmares that may crop up. (Ever since Doomfist’s return to Numbani, her parents had mentioned, the nightmares have been more intense and more recurring than before. They are grateful when they find that Zenyatta has taken it upon himself to help and has offered his gained knowledge to them for when Efi is at home and far away.) Zenyatta always seems pensive in those in between moments. Genji asks him about it one night.

It takes a moment for Zenyatta to form his answer. “It is heartening to have another believe in our cause, to have them believe we are doing the right thing and have them contribute to said cause, but I do wish it was not up to children to help us with our quest. They have suffered much already.”

“I will not say you are wrong Master, for I believe that children should have the chance to be children. But, Master, I must ask: should we not give children some agency over the world they will come to inherit?”

“It is one thing to teach and offer an amount of agency, Genji, and another thing to come to rely completely on them. Efi and Orisa are doing a fine job of protecting Numbani and helping us on missions, but there are no defense for Numbani beyond them. Should Orisa, Iris forbid, fail, what will Numbani do other than blame Efi and Orisa, even if they are only children?”

“I think you are giving Numbani too little credit, Master. They know that they are both young and learning. Perhaps they will fail, but they will learn from their mistakes. Of course there are those who will blame them – those very same voices doubt them now. Regardless, however, they have made their choice. All we can do is support and protect them as best we can – as you already are. Take comfort in that, Master, and realize that we are doing all we can. We are not their parents. We will take their well-being on for brief periods of time, but it is Efi and her parents who have the final say in anything that she chooses to do.”

Zenyatta sighs, not happy but also not arguing. He turns his gaze over to where Efi is resting peacefully (for now) and relaxes slightly. Genji takes Zenyatta’s hand, offering physical comfort. Zenyatta is the one who turns their joined hands over, threading their fingers together and staring at them.

Nothing else was said as Efi’s snores filled the room. The two adults in the room fell into a doze, ready to awaken at any point should the child need them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: I believe that Genji, after gaining some perspective, would gain this attitude towards children after taking in his own experience and learning of others’.   
> Fun Fact 2: This is the second chapter written in its entirety before being typed. It’s also two notebook pages long.  
> Fun Fact 3: This ended up being more about Efi and Zenyatta than anything I had planned. Ah well.  
> Fun Fact 4: I like the idea that most of the Overwatch team gets along with and adores Efi, with a few exceptions who are unsure more than anything. Efi’s parents are glad she has people who can keep up with her engineering skills, even if they are a bit wary about the Recalled agents. (It’s Reinhardt and Zenyatta who win them over and have them decide to allow Efi to visit base, knowing that those two will protect her should anything happen.)


	20. Seishin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two don't get to speak often, at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you mean it's August? (Looks at calendar.) Oh. Well this is awkward.  
> I didn't mean to not post anything for this long - alas, work and preparing to go back to school (along with my crap memory) means this got set on the back burner despite my backlog of chapters (oops).  
> Speaking of, I'll be returning to school come this Wednesday, but hopefully I'll be able to post chapters here Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and possibly Friday. I might be interacting with my new roommate - we'll just have to see.

Zenyatta doesn’t get the chance to interact with Ramen often. The spirit prefers to spend the majority of its time dormant, away from sight. Genji had, eventually, admitted that he could always hear Ramen in his head, in the peculiar way the dragon chose to “speak”, so Zenyatta supposed that loneliness wasn’t an issue the spirit had to contend with. The only time the two ever really got to interact was when Genji’s nightmares drove him to seek out Zenyatta’s comfort. The omnic would stay awake, if possible, warding off any repeats with soft words and perhaps a touch of Harmony. Ramen would appear should these tactics fail, coiling around the cyborg as much as his smaller form would allow. The dragon often seemed sympathetic and worried, and Zenyatta wondered just how old it was to carry such sorrow in its eyes as it tried to comfort its charge. The duo usually won out over the nightmares in the end, and Zenyatta would speak gently to the spirit in the dead of night as they waited for the sun - and with it, Genji - to rise. Zenyatta wasn’t entirely sure why he talked, seeing as Ramen never really answered in those first few nights (with words or otherwise). The soul is a curious thing, so perhaps he speaks solely for the pleasure of speaking. If he was, then Ramen was listening for the pleasure of listening, as he did eventually come to look at and respond to Zenyatta from where he coiled around Genji.

It varied, what Zenyatta would talk about. Sometimes it was whimsical – the weather, the dream he had the other night – and other times it was a bit more serious - philosophical “debates”, questions about souls and spirits and beliefs that were… interesting, to say the least, when you could only receive “yes”, “no”, or a shrug for an answer.

The two grew relatively close in this manner; Zenyatta calling, Ramen responding, and Genji sleeping peacefully. It was a nice set-up. But there were times when Ramen wished to respond with more specific answers than “yes”, “no”, or indifference. Yellow-silver-gold-shine had posed some excellent questions, and had long since earned the dragon’s trust by caring for his charge. It took a long while for Ramen to decide whether or not he wanted to extend this particular part of his power to the omnic. It wasn’t a debate on whether or not the other was worthy, or if Ramen had the ability or power, so much as an internal problem. It was easy in theory, but in practice…

Well. Ramen rarely interacted with anyone outside of his charge, but this being… this being had earned not only his trust, but his _respect_ as well.

So the next time Zenyatta begins talking in the depths of night, Ramen responds.

The omnic is visibly startled. It’s subtle, but noticeable, how most of his machinery halts for a split second and how his forehead array glows brighter for the same length of time. He recovers quickly, however.

“I was not aware you could speak to anyone other than Genji,” he stated calmly.

_I do not often see the point in talking when gestures convey my meaning well enough. But you ask some thoughtful questions, shiny hatchling._

Zenyatta chuckled at the odd endearment, but felt a sort of warmth at the care that came through as well.

“Thank you,” Zenyatta said, “though I fear I do not have a similar term for you.”

Zenyatta felt as acceptance and indifference washed over him – emotions that were not his own.

“How peculiar,” was his response to the feeling, “Is that your way of saying you do not mind?”

Ramen nodded and proceeded to slither up Genji’s arm in order to interact with Zenyatta more directly.

“I was unsure if you could communicate with me. Genji had told me that he could hear you and that the two of you were connected, but beyond that was a mystery to him.”

_And why wouldn’t it be? He has only experienced me as himself, and the old clan never bothered to ask us. It is a well-founded question, however, for it is as I said: I do not often see the point in talking._

“And yet you speak to me.”

A feeling of annoyance but also faint amusement came over Zenyatta after this statement.

“I am afraid I am not as adept a translator as Genji.”

_Quit speaking in circles,_ Ramen says shortly.

“Ah. I suppose we have already covered this subject.”

Ramen snorted as he settled more fully onto Genji’s arm. The cyborg curled around his spiritual companion as if Ramen were a stuffed animal. A rush of affection poured through both Zenyatta and Ramen as they gazed upon Genji resting peacefully.

_Rest, shiny hatchling_. _All will be well,_ Ramen murmured without looking away from Genji.

Zenyatta found no reason to argue, and so obeyed.

All was as Ramen said, and Genji woke up to the beings he felt closest to surrounding him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: This is the first chapter to be written (pen/paper) entirely before being typed, fun facts and all. It’s two notebook pages long.  
> Fun Fact 2: Ramen’s characterization is heavily inspired by the dragons in the Inheritance Cycle (first book is Eragon), specifically Saphira. If you like Medieval-esque settings, magic, dragons, and/or LOTR, you’ll probably like this series.  
> Fun Fact 3: Ramen is my favorite fanon character. (Or Soba, depending on who you ask. My personal headcanon is Ramen for male, Soba for female, and that Ramen only uses gender identities because those are easier for his charges to understand and explain.)  
> Fun Fact 4: Ramen was originally going to say at some point something like “it is a bit different to interact with metal and wires, but it is not strange. It is still a mind, just different.” I couldn’t find a good place to fit it in, so it wasn’t placed anywhere but here in the fun facts I don’t think anyone reads.


	21. Avyavasthā

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch was shut down for a reason.  
> Maybe it's best it stay that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I promised a new chapter on Monday and that it's technically Tuesday right now, but oh well.

When Genji first asks him, Zenyatta is reluctant. He has heard the stories, both from old news holograms and his student’s own tales, and the opinion he has of Overwatch is… not comforting, to say the least, and a little terrifying if he wants to be completely honest. An organization founded in war, explicitly for the purpose of opposing omnics is not exactly Zenyatta’s idea of a good cause to support. Perhaps he is personally biased as well – he cares for Genji deeper than he cares to say aloud, and the stories and unknowns of what the team had done to his student haunt him just as they hounded Genji’s spiritual and mental well-being (and, if they’re both feeling like being particularly honest, still do).

If this is what that group is, or will become, then Zenyatta wants no part of it. It is these doubts that lead to his hesitation on taking Genji’s offer to accompany him, something he makes known to his student.

“It is not that I do not wish to join you, or a cause you believe can do good. But I do not want to be part of, or associated with, an organization that does the things that the former incarnation of it did.”

Genji tilts his head, conceding that it’s a valid concern, but rebukes him. “Master, if what you say is true, then who better to watch the watchmen? Someone who is new to the group who knows very well the fails of the old guard. Not to say that you hold it against them, but perhaps with a different viewpoint you will be able to catch history repeating should the old guard lapse. And those who would return will know of the history and what to watch for.”

Zenyatta stays silent, still hesitating. Genji takes his master’s hands in his own, drawing the omnic to look at his visor where his eyes would be if he did not have the full helm on.

“Master,” he says and then stops, still searching for what he wants to say and how to say it. He tries again and fails. He turns their hands over once, twice, still searching. It happens sometimes, that Genji will have a motion, an idea, but he lost the words to put to it as soon as he began. It takes him some time to find them again. Zenyatta’s okay with this – it is a quirk of Genji’s nature, possibly brought on by his extended period of isolation, and Zenyatta has always had patience in spades. Eventually, Genji finds his words and continues.

“Master,” he starts again, “I honestly do believe that Overwatch will not make the same mistakes again. If it should come to pass, I know that either you or I will see it and point it out. And, should it come to it, leave. I have hidden from Overwatch once; I would be able to do it again and bring you with me.” Genji seemed to chew on what he was going to say next, the mechanisms that helped him run the cybernetic parts of his body whirring slightly louder. “And,” he begins in a whisper, “the people who made the decisions that did -” here, he gestures to himself and all it encompassed, “are long since dead; they are buried, burned, or otherwise.”

Zenyatta hugged him then, surprising the cyborg with the suddenness of the action. He stroked the black part of the helm, knowing that Genji could feel the sensations better there.

“I have faith in you, little sparrow. I will follow if you truly believe that Overwatch can be a force for good. But I will not stand by and let horrors be committed.”

“I would not ask you to do so, only that you tell me so you will not stand alone, or that I may be by your side in any case,” Genji murmured from where he was returning the hug.

“Then it is to Overwatch we shall go. Where was the recall sent from?”

“Gibraltar.”

Zenyatta nodded. “Then we have a long journey ahead of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: The note that inspired this is actually a little bit odd. It reads: “Overwatch was shut down for a reason. Maybe it’s best it stay that way. ~Zenyatta”. It’s Mercy’s line on Defense on Watchpoint: Gibraltar, but I thought that it would be strange for Zenyatta to not question the moral compass of Overwatch the organization – after all, he is the one who helped Genji get to where he is now. He’s seen what the organization did to one person (and if they can do it to one person, who’s to say they won’t do it for more?). I’m of the opinion that Mercy, Zenyatta, and several others join Overwatch because it is the right thing to do currently, but like Genji says, they are the watchers of the watchmen who watch them in turn.  
> Fun Fact 2: Genji’s hesitation in speech is based on the fact that I had problems figuring out how Genji would go about addressing his thoughts. It worked out in the end.  
> Fun Fact 3: Don’t sweat too much about all the heavy chapters being dropped. I have a long, happy one currently being written and another one in the works. But friendship is not all sunshine and rainbows, and especially not in the way Genji and Zenyatta’s relationship was formed.


	22. Heiwa Iji-Sha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not easy playing peacekeeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the last chapter was posted like 14 hours ago but I'm not gonna have another chance to post today and I promised I would so here have this.

Genji puts his face in his hands. He had restrained himself previously out of respect for Angela’s concerns – she is the one who rebuilt him, after all, allowed him this second chance at _living_ – but honestly all he wants right now is a hot meal, some hot tea, and a hot bath. The first is actually possible now since Angela had updated his hardware – he won’t be eating anything Reinhardt cooks for a little while, but semi-solid food is possible now.

But the point is that Angela has been going about the same thing for nearly an hour and a half and frankly Genji is _done_ with this conversation.

“Doctor Ziegler,” he begins, the formal address catching her attention (he’s long since been told and abided by her request to call her Angela), “I understand your concern about my brother joining us. Your questions are valid, but trust me when I say that we can rely on him to uphold his word of working with us. I have forgiven him for what he has done – for what he has been forced to do. I will not ask of you to do the same unless you want to, but, Angela, _please_ give him a chance. I have had help in these past years – he has had nothing but his own thoughts. It will take time for him to recover, if he will recover at all. You may not trust him, but trust me when I say that he will do us no harm and will not intentionally injure anyone, least of all me.” Genji stares at the doctor, whose mouth is shaped in a little “o”, if only for the fact that this is probably the most Genji has spoken all at once since the recall.

He places his hand on hers. He understands her concern and isn’t too upset at her questioning, but Hanzo has to have a chance. He was as much a victim as Genji, and the latter has realized that. He is gratified at the worry Mercy has for him, but it is unnecessary, and also doesn’t need an hour and a half of trying to find a delicate way of asking Genji if he’s out of his mind.

“Now, Angela, would you like to join Zenyatta and I for dinner? We’re having udon,” Genji invites with a smile. Angela had wanted to get to know the omnic better, after all, and Genji’s probably going to be busy with testing the new food implements he has to offer conversation for the omnic.

Angela smiles back. “It sounds delightful, Genji.” Genji leads her back to the side room he and Zenyatta had claimed for the meal.

It’s not easy playing peacekeeper. But it is rewarding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: This is not the original plan I had for this idea, but I like it better. The other one was a lot bitterer.  
> Fun Fact 2: Supports support supports – aka I headcanon that it takes only a very short time for all the supports to befriend one another and have sassy, passive-aggressive tea parties where they rag on everyone and just unwind.  
> Fun Fact 3: This idea actually came from, surprise surprise, dealing with my own brother. That’s actually how this fic was started, but… well, if you want the story I’ll tell it, just not here. But yeah, I try to play peacekeeper between my brother and my dad (my mom and sister already gave up on him and I can’t blame them) and it… is an experience.  
> Fun Fact 4: I can’t decide between a Genji who can eat and a Genji who can’t. So my universe has both.


	23. Svatantratā

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freedom is the most damning thing, more binding than any leash or chain.

It’s the freedom that’s damning, he thinks as he travels through the more arid parts of the world.

He’s never really had these choices before. Back in the clan, it was do as the elders and his father command – or, in his case, the opposite of those demands. It did nothing, in the long run, besides prolong an agency that should’ve died years ago and leave Genji in a metal body not his own in an organization whose very roots were rotting beneath the whole structure. There wasn’t much choice to be found there – be rebuilt, go where they tell you, do as they tell you once you get there.

It wasn’t all bad – McCree, Angela, Winston, and Lena are all people he’s fond of and he only could’ve met them there – but his anger and depression were consuming him, swallowing him from the inside out, and he could take no more. His missions were completed, and with the way things were he would not be sent on any more, so he left. He packed what meager supplies he would need – his swords, a set of clothing for disguise, his shuriken, and a repair kit were all tossed in a non-descript bag he had picked up far earlier when he began to plan this. He wrote a note and left it on his bed. Perhaps it was too scathing, but he did try not to be completely rude. Though maybe the warning about body bags was a bit much. Whatever, it was done now.

Once he left, he headed towards the forests. He stuck to the shadows out of habit, descending deeper and deeper and farther away from the Watchpoint he had just been in.

He was unsure of how long had passed, or what country he was in when he decided that forests were not for him. They were too loud, too disorienting, and every bit of nature around him reminded him that he was not natural at all. So he left as soon as he could.

He visited a city, briefly – he entered a gym and took a shower, scrubbing all the dirt and such away that he could not get out in water sources in the forest – before leaving with barely a direction in mind.

It was only several months later that he realized that the freedom he was granted was damning. It was a huge leap to go from no choices to all of them. Genji could sit in a cave somewhere and waste away, or dedicate his entire being to the study of one field and become wildly successful. He could do almost anything he wanted to – but he couldn’t. He could not stay around people for long periods of time. He couldn’t stand next to an omnic without being annoyed at being mistaken for one of them. He couldn’t stand it.

So he stayed in the desert, because it felt like the only choice he had. No one questioned him not wanting to show his face, or why his voice was overlaid with almost inhuman tones – they figured it was just the sand getting to him, and left him alone. They did not question the blades he carried; the world was dangerous, they figured, and some people are insane enough to bring knives to gun fights.

Sandstorms come and go, but Genji never worries about them after his first. His vision is barely hindered, his helmet automatically switching to infrared, and he is too heavy to be picked up by the winds. His belongings are meager and held tightly in the threadbare bag he uses, and his strength prevents the bag from flying from his grasp. He is not stung by the sand particles, either, with his body coated in armor hiding away the artificial nerves. It is after his fifteenth that he decides to test his limits – how far beyond human can he go?

He wanders to the mountains. He’d test his capacity for cold resistance, but he’s not stupid enough to test the patience of the Russian military force when they are trying to defend their home from the omnium that is still producing soldiers. So he strays towards the Himalayas, the challenge inviting.

It is here he stumbles across (or rather, into) the Shambali’s doorstep, here where he meets Zenyatta.

It is here, it is now, when he finds himself at what will become his home.

And then he is glad for the freedom he had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: This was actually inspired by a warning that my teachers gave my high school. We functioned off the college campus and college courses, so we were pretty much college students at the time. Which means we could skip courses and such, so long as we weren’t caught by the high school staff. This, unfortunately, contributes to the amount of drop outs/ kicks from the school – to give you an idea, we take in a freshman class of about 110 every year. The school has been going for 8-ish years now and has yet to have a graduating class of 80 people. My senior class had 69. The teachers warned us at the beginning that “the freedom is the worst thing”, a piece of wisdom one of the previous students told them. Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, this student dropped out/was kicked from the school. It’s a piece of wisdom that’s stuck with me since then.   
> Fun Fact 2: I think that Genji started out in Blackwatch and then was moved into Overwatch proper once the Shimada clan was dealt with. This is when he got his white/chrome armor (his default skin) – to hide his history in Blackwatch. This is how he knows most of the Recall agents.


	24. Ame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AKA the chapter that was supposed to be return of Ramen the Noodle Dragon but then Writing (TM) happened

When Genji and Zenyatta lived among the Shambali, no one in the temple knew why Genji would walk out into the pouring rain. It wasn’t particularly dangerous; Genji was clever enough to not go out when there was lightning or when the winds picked up significantly. He would just go outside whenever rain fell, and it didn’t seem to matter whether it was a light sunshower or pouring buckets. There the ninja would be, sitting on some impossible perch or balcony. Sometimes he appeared to be in meditation, sitting cross-legged with his hand in front of his chest. Other times he was just sitting, apparently content to just rest as the rain came down.

It wasn’t the fact that the normally reckless and restless ninja was peaceful in the rain that made it so weird – many of the monks found peace in the rain and would often take the time to appreciate the occasionally deadly beauty the storms had, so they could understand the temporary settling of a soul – rather, it was the fact that Genji went _outside_ during this. Omnics knew they were at a higher risk than most humans of being struck by lightning, since they are made of metal and wires as opposed to flesh. Genji was used to how his body moved and worked, even if he wasn’t at peace with it and hardly accepted it when he had first arrived, he’s generally knowledgeable about basic safety protocols. Still, he goes out, and even if it takes him three hours to dry the various parts and crevices in his body, he goes.

Zenyatta’s never sure on how to bring it up in conversation. Genji is volatile in the beginning, full of rage and anger that is directed everywhere and nowhere all at once and Zenyatta is occasionally at a loss on how to interact with Genji at all, much less help him or ask a question that implies that there’s a familiar bond between them beyond teacher and student. So he waits. If there is one thing he has in spades, it is patience for his students, and so he sits and waits and teaches and goes about his days until he thinks it’s okay for him to ask.

When he finally does, the answer is surprising as much as it is not.

“Ramen enjoys it.”

Genji rarely talks about his spiritual companion, and speaks even less about the peculiarities it possesses. Zenyatta has met the creature a grand total of twice since meeting Genji – once, when Genji had first arrived and subsequently collapsed in the doors of the Shambali monastery, and again when Genji had summoned the dragon as a gesture of trust. There seemed to be a deep bond between the dragon and cyborg, but Zenyatta had very few pieces for this puzzle and thus couldn’t figure it out. For Genji to address the spirit’s likes is surprising, though the fact that Genji acts in this strange behavior for the creature, or that Ramen enjoys it at all, is not.

Zenyatta doesn’t express these musings outwardly, instead choosing to reply: “It is kind that you do so.”

Zenyatta notices that Genji taps his foot, resulting in a soft _plink_ sound. It is something the cyborg does occasionally in conversation – Zenyatta thinks it is because Genji doesn’t know what or how to say something, so this is a replacement action.

Zenyatta isn’t sure what to say to continue the conversation, so he says nothing, instead choosing to join Genji in sitting. He focuses inward, not in meditation, but in concentration. He sorts out a list of things to do based on priority for the next day or so. The two beings sit in the quiet together, simply enjoying the other’s presence.

The next time Genji goes out, Zenyatta asks if he would mind company. Genji agrees to his presence, and the two sit and watch in the rain as it falls.

 

Bonus:

Genji shouted something in Japanese (knowing him, it was probably some form of creative cursing) as Ramen appeared in the middle of the two of them. The balcony they had perched on was cozy before, but now it was just cramped as Ramen scrambled to drape his long, sinuous body over the both of them. After the initial panic had settled, Zenyatta looked at Genji and vice versa. The omnic was sent into a laughing fit, Genji and Ramen following shortly after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact One: In this universe, Zenyatta has traveled for years and acquired a mass of students (as explained in Chapter 7, Sinku). He returned to the Shambali occasionally to reconnect with his siblings, especially Mondatta. Genji met him at this point, and while the mentoring started there both he and Zenyatta were getting restless and so left together. He and Genji were travelling when Mondatta was assassinated. He blames himself for not being in the right place – either King’s Row or Nepal before Mondatta left – hence his wonderment over whether or not he is still welcome among the Shambali. This story takes place in between Genji arriving and both of them leaving.   
> Fun Fact Two: Dragons are associated with rain, rivers, lakes, etc. in China and Japan, at least to some extent. Hence, this chapter. Also the absolute ton of rain I’ve gotten in the past week. Spring! Hurray! (Sarcasm, in case you didn’t notice.)  
> Fun Fact Three: Honestly I had no idea I was going to write as much as I did about Ramen. I said all the way back when he got a brief mention that I had a chapter for him that I wasn’t sure I was going to post. Lo and behold, he has three chapters where he’s the main character.   
> Fun Fact 4: In my universe, spirit dragons choose what size they want to be, with some limitations such as age and power. Ramen’s old enough to be as large as what we saw in Dragons, or about two-ish feet in length.


	25. Kkoch Wang-gwan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's almost unfathomable how the two exist in the same universe, let alone the same room.  
> All the same, there they are.

It’s easy to forget Zenyatta’s youth. The omnic has wisdom that is spouted at such appropriate times that the team isn’t aware of his age until Zenyatta mentions it in passing, and even then it tends to be forgotten until some action or question of his brings it back to the forefront of their minds.

With Hana it’s not much of a problem; instead, people often forget that she was part of her country’s special forces and has participated in (and _won_ ) battles much more demanding than half the missions Overwatch has gone on so far. It’s easy to forget- what with her teasing, jovial nature- that she was and is a soldier worthy and deserving of respect; something that shows on the field as she stares down enemies with a grin on her face before she mows them down.

Perhaps it is because of this that the team is surprised about how _well_ the two get along. Even for the members of Overwatch, it is difficult to imagine them together in any scenario. Perhaps it is because they seem so different from the other. Hana is a bright, bubble gum pink ball of energy who never slows down. Zenyatta, meanwhile, is the kind of being to stop and smell the roses, as it were. Hana speaks in gamer terms, in “GG”s and “level up”s and “L to P”s. Zenyatta, meanwhile, seems to be from an era long past that somehow manages to blend in perfectly with the present, speaking in adages and proverbs heard a million times before. People find it strange that Zenyatta and Hana can exist in the same world simultaneously, not to mention in the same room. Even for the members of Overwatch, it is difficult to imagine them together in any scenario. But here they are.

Hana, after the first instance of having her and Genji’s collective butts handed to them in Mario Kart, would invite Zenyatta to her streams to serve as a co-commentator (if he was available). Zenyatta would provide both insightful and humorous commentary, often dryly retorting the protagonist’s or antagonist’s actions, much to the joy of a good percentage of the chat. Many people seemingly fell in love with how Zenyatta would coo and his forehead array brighten in response to some of the calmer games. Animal Crossing, in particular, was one of Hana’s most viewed stream highlights with most of the video being Zenyatta playing and reacting to the game as she hung in the background. (Genji contributed at least half a dozen of those views, having been away on a mission at the time of the recording. It’s a weight off his chest to know that two of the people closest to him are comfortable and happy).

Hana also helps with Zenyatta’s garden, as many of the Overwatch agents are prone to do if they need some peace. Zenyatta teaches her, as he had taught Genji, how to take care of all the different species, and eventually Hana becomes every bit as good as the two at caring for the plants and takes over the chores they add if both Zenyatta and Genji are away while she is not. Sometimes she will pick some of the flowers – neither Genji nor Zenyatta mind, so long as the plant is not picked bare – to make flower crowns. She wears them until they wither, then puts the dead flowers in the compost. A cycle of life, Zenyatta had said; the living fuel the dead as the dead fuel the living.

One day she plunked a crown made of different daisies on top of Zenyatta’s head without ceremony. The omnic, surprised by the motion, reached up and tenderly touched the crown. Hana smiled, phone out.

“Say pickles!” she told him, snapping a photo as Zenyatta flashed a peace sign. (She sent it to Genji, who put a couple of filters over it before saving it to his own phone, resulting in an extremely flustered Zenyatta.)

In turn, Zenyatta wove one of dandelions and sweet peas for her to wear. He made one for Genji, too, not wanting the cyborg to be left out, though his was made of azaleas and peony flowers.

The cyborg badgered them into taking a selfie. Hana was squished in the middle of the other two, grinning widely as she gave Genji rabbit ears, just as he did to Zenyatta and as one of Zenyatta’s Transcendence arms came and did the same to Hana. There was another one without all the jokes but with all the happiness. Zenyatta has both pictures on his phone as his lock and home screen, and Genji’s been debating printing them out.

Hana has them posted onto her social media account, her fans going nuts over how adorable the photos were. The pictures are often referenced during streams, especially when either or both Genji and/or Zenyatta are present. It makes them feel a little more welcome in the streams – not that they aren’t normally, but as has been said, some are cruel for the sake of being cruel – and in turn, makes their commentary a little more playful.

To much of the Overwatch team, it is perhaps surprising that the three get along as well as they do.

But the best things come in small packages, no?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: … WAIT IT’S NOVEMBER? … AND AMERICAN THANKSGIVING? Gracious. I didn’t mean to just leave this hanging, I swear! A lot of things came up and this got… very much tossed on the back burner. Again. I think it’s more than heated at this point; it’s probably a bit burnt. My terrible jokes aside, I also forgot all of my notes for the chapters at my house before coming to school, so all that work was sitting in a drawer until now. Oops.   
> (P.S. - ... Yeah... stuff came up between when I finished this and when I actually got around to posting it...)  
> Fun Fact 2: When I first started Overwatch, I mained Genji (I’ve told this story before). Nowadays, I main Mercy/D.Va (generally those two are tied for hours played. Mercy’s ahead by about two hours now because no one else plays a freaking healer and I can’t aim well enough for Ana). Hence why I’m writing more D.Va now.  
> Fun Fact 3: This chapter literally took months. There were a lot of parts that I wasn’t really sure how to connect, and in fact this was two written ideas spliced together – one idea was only typed, the other only physically written. So there was a lot of joints I had to make sure worked properly.  
> Fun fact 4: There was a brief debate (and by that I mean about 30 seconds) of me trying to decide if I wanted to use D.Va’s voice line (which I did) and Zenyatta’s voice line “no snowflake ever falls in the wrong place”. I figured D.Va’s made a bit more sense.  
> Fun Fact 5: The flowers do have different meanings, as much as the language of flowers is dying and really only used in fictional situations. Daisies generally mean, faith, cheer, and simplicity, (hence Zenyatta’s crown); dandelions mean overcoming hardship and sweet peas mean gratitude (hence Hana’s); azaleas also mean gratitude and peonies mean strength (hence Genji’s). A few of these flowers have more meanings but those are the reasons I included them in each character’s crown.  
> Fun Fact 6: Between Bastion, Hana, Ana, Genji, and Zenyatta, there’s always a section of a Watchpoint that becomes a greenhouse.

**Author's Note:**

> ... There's a lot behind this chapter. But ah... that's a story for another time, don't you think?  
>  Chapter Title: "Dragon Bridge" in Vietnamese. It's the name of... well, the Dragon Bridge in Vietnam. Got the info from Wiki; it's pretty cool.


End file.
